


Dying Angel Style

by Aerys_Krystie



Series: Angel Style [1]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-18
Updated: 2016-02-10
Packaged: 2018-05-14 17:55:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 13
Words: 74,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5752777
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aerys_Krystie/pseuds/Aerys_Krystie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a depression, Jackson doesn't notice changes happening to him. When the changes become irreversible, he becomes something that's only been a legend, even to werewolves. Unsure of what to do, a stranger helps out Derek as much as possible with his troubled pack member. Then hell comes to Beacon Hills in the form of an alpha pack and a coven of witches.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter I

**~Dying Angel Style~**

**By:** Aerys Krystie

**Theme:** AU.

**Plot:** The weight of everything he’s ever done is pressing down on Jackson. He gets to the point that he worries Derek, especially when a new group of hunters enter the scene. Eventually, Jackson becomes something other than a werewolf.

**Warnings:** Slash, self-mutilation, violence, language, major OOC.

**Disclaimer:** Everything of and referring to Teen Wolf is not mine. This is a non-profit, fan-made story. Please support the official release.

 

oOo

 

Most people believed that the night was the worst part of any day. No one wanted to close their eyes and see what haunted them. No one wanted to relive their most terrifying memories, which would put more of them in an insane asylum. There was a simple solution that many would take under heavy advisement – drugs, alcohol or a combination of both?

There were some that didn’t have that luxury, though. Drugs and alcohol had no effect on him. He could basically OD on heroin and bourbon, but nothing would happen. The track marks on his arms would heal in a day, if that. He detested his metabolism and found himself wishing that he could be human again. If he was human, he wouldn’t have this problem.

Staring at his reflection, Jackson tried to figure out which deity he pissed off. He figured it happened in a past life. The hell he went through in this life was because he pissed on someone’s shoes, without a doubt. He sighed and dropped his head, feeling the previous few weeks of insomnia catching up to him. There were only so many things he could do to remain alert. If alcohol had no effect on him, he knew that caffeine wasn’t going to work. If he injected it into his arm or eye, he could ride a small high for a minimum of four minutes.

With a shake of his head, Jackson raised his head and applied the eye-drops. He blinked and waited for his vision to clear. The redness had disappeared a little, but the near black circles under his eyes took more work. With shaking hands, he applied the full face make up. He went extra heavy on the concealer when the first lot didn’t cover the circles properly. He applied lip balm, in the hopes no one would notice his peeling lips and left his bathroom.

Ignoring the full length mirror, Jackson hunted through his closet to find something that would bulk him up. He knew it wouldn’t be long before the others noticed his weight loss. He really couldn’t help that. Food just wasn’t appealing to him. The very idea of eating was turning his stomach. He detested the weekends, as he parents always wanted him to join them for breakfast. They stopped asking about a month ago; finally getting the message that he didn’t want to eat.

Feeling he had enough layers under his hoodie, Jackson shoved his feet into shoes and left his bedroom. He ran down the stairs, shouting that he was visiting a friend and that he would be back later that night. He heard his parents getting ready to ask more questions, but Jackson was out the front door before they could. He contemplated for half a second if he should take his car and decided against it. If he was going to be injured in the pack meeting, he really didn’t feel like bleeding on the leather seats.

Besides, it was a cool, crisp morning and a jog to the Hale mansion was a good way to clear his mind. Granted, it didn’t work that well, but Jackson would take whatever he could. He got as far as the start of the forest, before he had to rest against a tree. The hunger pains were torturous and he was grateful that he was always the last to arrive. For the last three months that was because he had to stop and regain his strength. He couldn’t make a grand entrance if he was half dead and that would just make the others worry about him.

A twig snapped and Jackson froze, straining his ears. He looked up when a black bird crowed and took flight. He smiled and shook his head. That was the first time in a while that he felt fear settle in, mostly because he thought it was one of the pack or worse Derek. He watched the bird for a moment, smiling and almost wishing that he could take flight. His eyes widened when a scent invaded his nose, smoke and leather.

Calming himself, Jackson continued to watch the bird. He smiled forlornly as the bird rubbed its beak on the branch before cawing again. He stiffened as a cold breeze swept by. Oh, the internal heater of a werewolf was marvelous, when the body wasn’t starved and had enough sleep to function properly. He fought back a shiver and the urge to wrap his arms around his body. He knew that Derek was still there, watching him and waiting to be acknowledged.

The bird cawed and walked along the branch. Jackson tilted his head and moved to stand by the tree. He didn’t hear Derek move, but he sensed the heat that radiated from the alpha as he stood beside him. Jackson sighed heavily and turned to move on, figuring that was why Derek was there. Arriving fashionably late was apparently irritating to the great Derek Hale.

Normally, that would fill Jackson with a cold sense of pride. As of late, he couldn’t care less what annoyed some people and he couldn’t even feign interest in their lives. Indifference was becoming his friend since he figured no one wanted to listen to him. He could live with that. After all, it wasn’t as if he had done anything worth mentioning. Aside from the usual, like being used as a puppet to murder innocent people, threaten innocent people and just as a general means to an end. Then there was fact that he was a terrible human being before he was bitten.

Falling to a knee, Jackson struggled to get air into his lungs. He could feel his throat closing as it always did whenever he thought about every wrongdoing he’d committed. He clawed at his throat, which would usually end with him trying to scratch it out. He forced himself to stop the scratching and waved Derek on, not wanting anyone to witness his panic attack. However, since he was the alpha, Derek never did what anyone wanted.

Thinking of the bird, Jackson closed his eyes and felt his throat relax. He opened his eyes and glared at Derek. The alpha tilted his head and opened his mouth. Jackson forced a cruel smirk onto his lips and stood, brushing off his knees. He stepped around Derek and continued towards the mansion, trying to act as though that was his plan. He figured that Derek saw right through it, though. If he was lucky, the alpha wouldn’t try talking to him. That could get awkward.

Once at the foot of the stairs to the mansion, Jackson paused. There was no one else in there. He couldn’t hear their heartbeats and their scents weren’t as strong as they should be. Fear tingled up his spine and he spun around, glaring at Derek. If the alpha wanted a one on one session, he should have just said so. Jackson didn’t like it when people lured him somewhere under false pretenses. It made him feel like he was being used again.

Derek, however, was nowhere to be seen. With a shake of his head, Jackson started away from the mansion. He raised his elbow when he felt someone behind him, not surprised when his arm was caught. He pursed his lips when his arm was twisted up behind his back and the other arm snaked around his shoulders, keeping his spare hand useless. He could feel Derek’s stubble against his ear, as well as his hot breath.

“I have questions for you.”

Staring straight ahead, Jackson fought off the tingle that was traveling along his spine. It wasn’t fear, but it was something else that he had been fighting off for a long time. He narrowed his eyes and brought his foot up, kicking out Derek’s knee. The alpha’s grip loosened and Jackson swung around, punching Derek across the cheek. His eyes widened and he stepped back, unsure if that actually happened. He had _never_ been able to land an attack on anyone, much less Derek. He wasn’t the only one surprised by the sudden assault.

The bruise was already gone and Jackson stepped back. His knuckles still ached from the punch and he decided that was a good thing. Derek was staring at his hand though and Jackson knew he had to heal, lest he wanted to be questioned further. He lowered his eyes, concentrating on healing the discoloration on his knuckles. When they were healed, he looked up and stared at Derek. He opened his mouth to speak, but Jackson turned and ran.

Once he hit civilization, Jackson slowed to a walk. He hit Derek. He actually struck his alpha. He had no idea what kind of punishment Derek had in store for him for something like that. He figured it was going to be something really bad. Derek only wanted to question him and his response was violence. That wasn’t going to end well for him. He didn’t care how awesome it was to actually strike Derek. Maybe he was just tired of being the one that always ended up on his back.

Derek was always telling him that control was key in everything. Jackson didn’t have control of that situation and when he did, he did the only thing he could. He ran away. That was a normal reaction to attacking one’s alpha, right?

The adrenaline was leaving his body. He had wandered past his home and towards the more seedy part of town. He stopped and looked around, wanting to find somewhere to hide for the next few hours, before he was due to get home. He sure as hell didn’t want to be around anything with a stink as bad as the people that were walking around him. He looked around and decided the school was good enough. It was something familiar to him and no one would be there on a Saturday.

Once inside, Jackson headed straight for the locker room. He sat on a bench and allowed himself to shiver from the cold and wrap his arms around his body. The stupid urge to cry tried to take over, but he forced it back. He needed to be clear minded in case someone randomly showed up. At least he knew that Derek wouldn’t show his face for a while. Jackson could feel laughter bubbling in his stomach. His alpha needed time to heal his wounded pride. After all, Jackson was the most pathetic of the pack and he managed to land a punch.

Raising a trembling hand, Jackson studied the blue tinge his skin had. He needed to do something before anyone discovered it. He wasn’t as strong as he would like to be when it came to hiding his problems. He knew he had to suck it up and push them aside. The Argents sure as hell wouldn’t care that he was starving, depressed and sleep deprived. He chuckled bitterly and tucked his hand into his armpit, inhaling shakily and closing his eyes. It was surprisingly calm in that locker room.

Jackson jolted awake with a gasp. He rolled off the bench and scrambled backwards, staring at the one that had woken him. Isaac looked apologetic and Jackson winced, looking away from him. He had no idea what Isaac was doing there, but figured he probably shouldn’t ask. That would leave room for Isaac to question him.

“Sorry,” Isaac whispered as he sat on the bench. “I thought I was the only one that came here.”

Watching Isaac’s movement intently, Jackson listened out for anyone else. There was another heartbeat somewhere in the room, which meant that Isaac came with back up. Jackson dropped his eyes to the jacket that wasn’t his. Isaac was smiling at him and Jackson figured the jacket belonged to him. He pulled it off and threw it back at the teen.

“You were shivering as you slept, so I figured you were cold,” Isaac said with a shrug.

Jackson raised his eyes, gazing blankly at Isaac. As he stared, he could hear Isaac’s screams from the nights his father abused him. He would never be able to block them out again. It was another punishment from whatever deity was targeting him and he could accept that. He could handle anything that was thrown at him, even if meant that Isaac was being nice to him.

Without a change in expression, Jackson stood and headed for the exit. He was there to be alone. He didn’t want to talk to anyone and he didn’t want to listen to anyone talk. He kept his eyes lowered as he walked past Derek. He wasn’t going to give that prick the satisfaction. Jackson inhaled deeply as he left the locker room and tried to understand what happened.

Derek wouldn’t have noticed anything wrong with him, as he had an entire pack to worry about. Isaac might have noticed the subtle changes in his personality – or lack there of – and brought it up with the alpha. That’s all it was. Derek was doing what he thought was his duty in order to keep his pack together and working as one unit. Surely Derek had to know that Jackson was always going to be a rogue member

Once outside of the school, Jackson checked his watch. He had gotten roughly an hour’s worth of sleep, which should keep him going for the next week and a half. His eyes were drawn to the skin of his hand. The blue tinge was getting darker the longer he was outside. He patted the area under his eyes, unsure of if his make up was still in place. He looked at his fingertips and saw that he still had some of it on.

It was time to head home. He could sneak into his room and stare at nothing for a few hours. That sounded like a decent plan and it was one Jackson was eager to put into motion. If he didn’t think about anything, he couldn’t be tortured by his mind. Of course, the moment he entered the streets, rain began pouring. In seconds, every layer of clothing he was wearing was soaked and he didn’t bother an attempt to stop his teeth from chattering. He figured the entire pack would enjoy seeing him that pathetic, though.

The trek home wasn’t as long as Jackson thought it would. When he arrived, he was out of breath and was certain he was about to crack a tooth with the force of the chattering. He made his way around to the back. One of the cars was missing and he didn’t bother to grab his keys. He looked at the small area he had to work with. After a few deep breaths, he ran towards the wall and jumped. He caught the gutter and found that was about all he could do.

Struggling, Jackson managed to snap off a piece of the PVC gutter. He placed his hand on the sharp plastic, inhaling sharply as the skin of his palm was cut. He managed to get a knee up, but the rest of the gutter gave up and he crashed into the rosebushes below. He winced as his face was scratched by the thorns and sat up. He was going to have a difficult time explaining why the gutter outside of his window needed to be replaced.

As he went to stand, he froze and looked at the main stem of a rose that was protruding through his right thigh. He blinked and raised his legs, panting as the pain shot through his body. He reached forward and looked at his left shoulder. He was certain he would have known that was dislocated when he sat up. Shaking his head, Jackson yanked his leg up and rolled to the side. He couldn’t believe how badly he wanted to cry and how easy it was to force it back.

The thought of calling Derek for help passed through his mind, but Jackson pushed that back violently. He had to learn to stand on his own. He didn’t care that he was one of the worst days possible. He could get into his room alone. Gritting his teeth, Jackson got to his feet and stumbled out of the rosebushes. He looked up at the damaged gutter and tried to figure the best way up there. He couldn’t stand in the backyard, bleeding, until his parents got home. Explaining the gutter suddenly didn’t seem that difficult.

Pulling off his hoodie, Jackson wrapped it around his injured thigh. He didn’t know what to do about his shoulder or the sprained ankle that was throbbing dully. The blood loss was making the cold even more unbearable, if that was possible. He fell to his hands and knees, bowing his head in defeat. He inhaled and caught Derek’s scent that was still on him. He growled and forced his shoulder back into place and got into a runner’s starting position.

With as much energy as he could gather, Jackson leapt at the gutter again. He grabbed it and swung up onto the area outside of his unlocked window. He opened and looked down into the yard with indifference. Derek had an eyebrow quirked, but said nothing as he left. Once again, Jackson would be damned if he was going to give that prick the satisfaction. He was as strong as any other member of the pack and he knew how to hide pain better than most.

Closing the window, Jackson made his way to his bathroom. He clicked on the lights and immediately wished he hadn’t. The first thing he saw was a ghostly white face under the remaining make up. He shook his head before pulled off his layers and throwing onto the floor. He opened the medicine cabinet and pulled out the bandages and gauze he had stocked in there from when the cuts on his neck refused to heal.

He untied his hoodie and removed his shoes and jeans. He watched the blood running down his leg before his attention was drawn to his vibrating phone on the counter. He didn’t even realize he had forgotten it. He sat Lydia’s name and ignored it. He opened a bottle of disinfectant and poured it onto the hole in his leg. He moaned as it seeped into the wound and gripped the basin, closing his eyes.

Opening his eyes, Jackson stared at his reflection and decided that being a masochist wasn’t the strangest thing to happen to him. He smirked and disinfected the back of his leg, ignoring the sting and the pleasure that came from it. He placed a wad of gauze over the holes and wrapped the bandage around them tightly. He cleaned the blood from his leg and removed his underwear. He went into his bedroom and pulled on a pair of jeans, before gathering his dirty clothing and going downstairs to the laundry.

He ignored the cold as best as he could, until he had the washing machine going. He turned on the heating in the house and then went back upstairs. He could hear his phone vibrating again and ignored it once again. He wasn’t in the mood to deal with Lydia’s questions. He glanced at his left shoulder and saw bruising appearing. He had no idea how long anything was going to take to heal. He doubted that Derek would know, either. How many werewolves were starved and sleep deprived?

Closing and locking his door, Jackson crawled under the covers of his bed. In his moment of weakness, Jackson hugged himself and tried to pretend that it was someone else. Someone that was much warmer than he was and his eyes started to close. They flew open when he realized who he was thinking about, but he closed them again. If he was to be tortured, he would gladly accept that.

 

oOo

 

When Friday rolled around, the wound on his leg was almost fully healed. Jackson found that he could walk properly if he ignored the pain and it finally made other stops questioning him. He felt bad about lying to Danny. He knew that Scott wanted to know why he wasn’t healing properly and Jackson wouldn’t be surprised if a message got back to Derek.

The bell rang, signally the end of school. Jackson took his time with packing away his books. Once the classroom was empty, he exited and wandered down the virtually vacant halls. He stood outside and hunkered down into his hoodie more. He blinked when his phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out and stared at the unknown number that was flashing on his screen.

He rejected the call and walked down the steps, heading for home. He pulled out his phone when it vibrated twice, indicating that he had a message. He opened it. _Don’t be late._ He deleted the message and continued for home. He had no idea who had sent him the message, since Derek was changing phones nearly daily because he had no idea how to encrypt a sim card. Jackson’s eyebrows furrowed ever so slightly. Despite his age, Derek was rather technologically retarded.

The phone vibrated again and Jackson sighed, dumping in a trashcan. Cutting all connections and dying alone sounded wonderful at that moment. He winced as he heard someone calling his name, but ignored it all the same. He honestly had no idea why no one could take the hint that he wanted to be alone for an indefinite amount of time. When he was ready to talk to them, he would talk. No one was going to force him to do something he didn’t want to do. Not again.

Once he was home, Jackson went straight up to his room and froze outside of the door. He closed his eyes and turned around, heading for the stairs again. His door opened and a strong hand gripped his still sore shoulder. The pain barely registered with him as he was dragged into his room. He said nothing and didn’t even bother to look at Derek as he went to his desk, emptying his books onto it. He could hear Derek typing on his phone and felt the curious gaze on him. Clearly, the text message was meant for Jackson’s phone and the alpha wanted to know why he couldn’t hear the vibrating.

“So what’s wrong?”

There was exasperation in Derek’s voice and Jackson found that hurt more than any physical pain ever could. He was an inconvenience to Derek. The alpha obviously didn’t want to be there, but someone was forcing him to check up on Jackson. That was one of the main reasons why Jackson knew he would die alone. No one wanted to be around, since he made it impossible for anyone to like him. Derek was doing what he thought he needed to do, in order to keep his pack together.

“Nothing. You can leave.”

Sitting down at his desk, Jackson opened his notebook for chemistry. If anything, isolating himself had improved his grades greatly. He reached for his pen, trying not to sigh when his wrist was pinned to the desk. He figured that bullshitting to Derek wasn’t a smart move, but he really wasn’t ready to talk to anyone about what was wrong, especially if they were only there because they felt they had to be.

“Are you upset about last Saturday?”

“No.”

In all honesty, he wasn’t upset about what happened last Saturday. He was used to being lied to, so he figured Derek was going to be like everyone one else. He lowered his eyes, trying to ignore the painful thudding in his chest at that thought. What did it matter if Derek was like everyone else? He was used to being alone. It shouldn’t matter if that ideal was ripped away from him.

Derek sighed and released his wrist. He stood back. “Take off your pants.”

Jackson’s heart thumped quickly for all of a second, before he remembered that Derek saw him get injured. “It’s fine.”

“Jackson,” Derek growled.

Jackson ignored him, gazing at the formula for chemistry. He grabbed his pen as his name was said again, but his hand was shaking. Ignoring his alpha was more difficult than he thought possible. There was some unseen force that wanted him to comply with everything Derek said. Derek growled his name again and Jackson closed his eyes. It took every last bit of his dignity to keep the tears from falling. He had cried in front of Derek once, in a pathetic moment of weakness. He was stronger than that now and he would not cry in front of anyone ever again.

There was a lengthy silence that ended with Derek sighing and the presence disappeared from the bedroom. Jackson glanced at the window and stood. He closed it and went back to his desk. He had no idea what was going to happen to him for disobeying his alpha, but he was really hoping that it would be painful and take weeks to heal.

Once he had done his homework, Jackson went into the bathroom. He removed his layers and sighed. The weight loss was becoming too noticeable now. If Derek touched him without his layers, he would know something was wrong, which would be very bad. Jackson shook his head and looked at the sore on his leg. A few more days and it would be a scar. The bruises were mostly gone from his shoulder and the sprained ankle almost felt like new.

He raised his eyes and stared at his reflection. His face was gaunt and drawn. It was going to take more effort to appear normal than usual. He told himself to remain strong. Eventually, this would all blow over. He didn’t know how long that would be, but he wasn’t going to back down now. Whatever this punishment was, he would see it through. He didn’t care if it meant death, as long as the suffering finally stopped.

After a shower, Jackson went to his room and dressed in a pair of pants and crawled under the covers of his bed. He watched as the stars were hidden by storm clouds. He curled into a ball and closed his eyes, once again getting the sense that someone was holding him. It was nice to pretend that someone cared about him that much.

It didn’t last long, though. He forced his eyes open and looked at the hand that was on his shoulder. He wanted to snarl, but the new him just accepted the defeat and stayed where he was. He rolled onto his back and gazed into Derek’s red eyes indifferently. Without invitation, Derek lied on the bed without breaking eye contact. Jackson’s eyes widened and got out bed, taking the quilt with him, which he wrapped around his emaciated body.

Derek stayed where he was and Jackson sat beside his desk. He watched every movement of the alpha. He didn’t want to lower his guard in case something happened. Jackson fought back questions. Why was Derek there? Didn’t he have a pack to look after? Why the hell would he abandon them just to be there? Jackson was certain he made his feelings clear. He didn’t want to be around anyone and only showed up to the pack meetings because he knew that would keep Derek away from his house. It would give him solitude.

“You aren’t alone,” Derek said quietly. When he didn’t get a response, he sighed and sat up. “You don’t trust anyone, not even yourself.”

Jackson lowered his eyes, unable to believe that he was cowering. He wanted nothing more than to be bitten. He wanted nothing more than to be on top again. Once he was bitten, everything went to hell and he was still fighting his way back. He looked up at Derek, surprised that he was directly in front of him. He flinched when Derek reached up to touch his face.

“When was the last time you slept?” Jackson shrugged. “You need to take care of yourself, Jackson,” Derek murmured as he moved closer. “When was the last time you ate?”

Jackson lowered his head. There was tenderness in Derek’s words, which made the situation worse. He had to be hallucinating. In his hunger induced, sleep deprived mind, he figured that Derek would come to him and be kind. His window opening made him blink and look up. He saw Derek enter and shake the rain from his jacket. Crushing disappointment filled Jackson and he closed his eyes.

Something was thrown at his feet and Jackson didn’t bother to open his eyes. He was hoping that the real Derek would leave and his hallucination would return. The window closed and Jackson looked up. Derek rested against it, arms crossed as he stared at the pathetic mass beneath a quilt, hovering in a corner of his bedroom. Jackson’s eyes flickered to the phone at his feet.

“You missed the meeting tonight because you threw out your phone.”

Jackson nodded. He wasn’t going to apologize for missing the meeting. He wouldn’t have added anything decent to the conversation. There was a reason he hung around the back of the pack, aside from being the only one that had no control. Derek moved to sit on the foot of his bed. He sighed and Jackson was getting tired of hearing that sound. Sighing was usually a sign of impatience. He was trying everything he could.

“Look at me.”

Jackson turned his head away, resting his cheek on his knees. He didn’t need to see the anger at him being stupid or worse, the pity at how low he had sunk. There was a flash of movement and Jackson blinked as his sight was filled with Derek’s face. He turned his head to the other side and Derek moved with him. Eventually, Jackson rested his forehead on his knees and closed his eyes.

His head snapped back, cracking against the wall when he felt a hand on his hair, petting him gently. He stared at Derek, fear swirling through his body and clenching at his gut. He stared at Derek’s hand, which was held up and waiting for him to place his fingertips against his. Jackson tilted his head and blinked at the hand. It had been a while since anyone used that tactic on him.

Derek was asking for his trust. Derek was asking for something that Jackson couldn’t give him, but he couldn’t tear his eyes from the hand. Instinct was telling him to run to Derek and let the alpha protect him and _maybe_ even like him. Tears filled his eyes and he looked up at Derek. The alpha’s eyes were soft and almost smiling. There was pity in there, though and the tears dried up as Jackson glared at him. Derek’s hand dropped and he nodded.

“At some point, you’ll have to trust me, Jackson.”

The glare deepened and Jackson jerked his head towards the window. He wanted Derek gone and out of his life completely. That wasn’t going to happen, though. He was drawn to Derek like an idiotic moth is to a flame. It mattered not that his wings were burned every time he got close, just as long as he could feel that heat.

Derek stood. “At some point, you’ll have to talk as well. I would prefer if you did so without lying.” He went to the window and paused. “When you’re ready, I’ll listen.” With that, he was gone and Jackson was left with a hollow feeling, as if Derek had taken his soul.


	2. Chapter II

**~Dying Angel Style~**

**By:** Aerys Krystie.

oOo

 

On Sunday, Jackson found himself standing outside of the Hale house. He stared at the door, wondering if he should walk in and talk to Derek. He had been there for the last two hours, debating the pros and cons of doing something that risky. Would Derek understand? What kind of judgment would the alpha pass on him? Would he be able to look himself in the mirror if this didn’t go well? He could barely stand his reflection as it was. He didn’t need any more reasons to detest himself.

His ears twitched and he turned to the right, searching the trees. He raised an eyebrow when he saw nothing out of the ordinary. He doubted that the Argents would try anything. They had no idea if anyone was in the house or even in the forest. He took a hesitant step towards the tree line, but stopped and tried to figure out what got his attention. It had to have been some kind of noise, yet nothing registered to him.

With one last glance at the house, Jackson headed into the trees. He was careful about where he placed his feet and kept his senses alerted. He paused when he heard a whistling. His eyes widened when he felt the arrow pierce his back and burst through the front. He coughed up blood and fell to a knee, looking over his shoulder. He couldn’t see anyone back there and figured they must have shot and then ducked behind a tree. He dropped to the ground when he heard another arrow whistle through the air.

Getting to his feet, Jackson ran. He tried to keep a tree at his back at all times and stupidly looked over his shoulder, wanting to know if he was being followed. He hissed as the head of the arrow embedded in a branch. Gritting his teeth, he broke off the head and spun around, using the tree to break off the back of the arrow. He coughed up more blood and wiped his mouth with the sleeve of his jacket. He continued running and didn’t stop until he was on his front stoop. He really hoped that they hadn’t followed him to his house. He really didn’t want to put his parents in danger.

He spat the blood into the garden and entered the house, keeping his arm raised to hide most of the blood on his jacket. He ran to the stairs, shouting out a greeting and went into his bedroom. He sighed and pressed his back to the door, sliding down and placing his head in his hands. He sighed and stood, ripping off his layers and heading into the bathroom. He checked the wound in the mirror, raising an eyebrow when he saw that it was healed.

A coughing fit took him over and he spat the blood into the basin, frowning at the red liquid. Jackson was certain that the arrow wasn’t in him. He looked up and frowned into his eyes. He only broke off the head and tail of the arrow. The middle was still in his body somewhere. The lung was the likely place, as it would explain the coughing and the blood. How was he meant to get it out, though? He couldn’t exactly explain this kind of injury at a hospital without involving the police.

His hands shook as he pulled out his phone and Googled the human body to know the best place to get into the lung. Getting the information he needed, Jackson committed it memory and then went into the shower, after grabbing one of his shirts and rolling it up. With a deep breath, he placed the shirt between his teeth, grew his claws and dug them into his ribs, which he broke and pulled back. He bit down and screamed into the shirt, hoping that would muffle most of the sound. He could feel a cold sweat breaking out on his face as he watched the amount of blood that was leaving his body. His jeans were completely ruined. If it wasn’t for the healing, Jackson would question if he could have survived this otherwise.

He slumped against the shower wall, welcoming the coolness of the tiles. Breathing heavily through his nose, Jackson straightened and made a small tear in the soft, squishy material that was his lung. Again, he bit down and screamed into his shirt as he dug around in the lung and finally got the piece of wood. He dropped it to the shower floor and fell to his knees. He spat out the shirt and swallowed several times, trying to keep down the rising bile in his throat and tried desperately not to breathe.

Stupidly, Jackson looked down and saw the damage. He was going to need help with the patchwork, he knew that much. He didn’t have the energy to do it and it _needed_ to be done. He forced himself to his feet and stumbled out of the shower. He fell down almost immediately, but managed to knock his phone down in the process. He reached for it blindly in the pool of blood that was forming around him and finally picked it up.

He stared at the dark screen, finding it hard to focus on anything. He had no idea who to call, as each option was as bad as the previous. He doubted that Lydia could handle that amount of blood. Isaac probably didn’t want to see that amount of blood. Erica and Boyd still hadn’t warmed to him. Despite the pain it caused, he coughed up blood onto his face and choked back a cry of pain. Derek would judge him for what he did, but so would Scott.

_I guess I’m going to bleed out on my bathroom floor._ The idea was strangely comforting, until he remembered what he told Derek when he first went to the Hale house. He didn’t want to die. His screen lit up and found the contact that would help him, without fail. He held the phone in front of him, listening to the line ring. Just before it rang out, it was answered and Jackson could only manage two words: ‘help – home.’ He dropped the phone and coughed again, more blood spraying onto his face and the ceiling was getting extremely fuzzy.

It took minutes, but they felt like days to Jackson. The figure entered his bedroom and stared down at him with shock. Jackson forced his eyes to work and realized that Derek wasn’t in shock. The alpha was furious. Jackson smirked and gave one last cough before everything went black. He would be damned if he didn’t irritate Derek one last time. Life was sweet.

oOo

A bird screech and Jackson jerked awake. He sat up and looked around, trying to figure out where he was. He was in a completely unknown room and breathing was more difficult than it should be. He looked down at his bare torso and saw bandages covering half of it, which were spotting with blood. He tried to get out of the bed, but only managed to roll out of it and land on his injured side. His mouth opened in a silent scream. He took short, raspy breaths, which ended with him coughing up blood. When he was done, he got to his feet shakily.

He turned towards the door, freezing when he saw Derek standing there. He could sense the rage radiating from the alpha and took a step back. He remembered the pain of ripping into his own body, but he didn’t remember anything more than feebly stumbling to his phone. Everything after that was a blank. He had no idea how long he was out for.

Unsure of what to do, Jackson blinked and said the first thing that came to mind. “Thank you.” His eyes widened. He was fairly certain that was the first time in his life he said that without being asked to or forcefully reminded to say it.

Derek snarled and Jackson tried to straighten his posture. He pursed his lips and hunched over again. As he expected, Derek stormed into the room and tried to check on his wounds. Jackson was hoping for that and slipped to the side of the alpha, running from the room. He made his way down the hall and jumped over the banister, heading for the door. That was as far as he got before the world spun and he felt something warm spilling down his leg. The gray pants were stained red and the bandages were missing. The jump had stretched the healing wound and ripped it open.

A hand gripped his shoulder and spun him around, his back slamming into the door. The result was him coughing blood onto Derek. The older male narrowed his eyes and picked up Jackson, taking him back up the stairs. He was placed gently on the bed. A clear mask was attached to his face and the smell of the oxygen made Jackson remove it immediately. Derek glanced at him and shook his head as he removed the ripped stitches.

“Wanna tell me why you decided to dissect yourself?” he asked as he pulled away the useless thread.

Jackson closed his eyes and let the blackness claim him once more. At least he wouldn’t be awake for the stitching. When he did wake, he had been washed down and the pants were replaced. Derek wasn’t in the room, but the moment he tried to sit up, Derek appeared and forced him to stay down. Jackson tried to push him away, which was about as useful as one would think.

“If you sit up, you’ll move the broken ribs and pierce your lung, _again_. I think you’ve done enough damage to yourself, don’t you?”

“My body,” Jackson rasped.

Derek growled, almost crushing Jackson’s shoulder in his grip. He took a deep breath and stepped back, deciding to change the subject. “You look different without the make up on.”

Jackson reached up and touched his face. He figured that Derek would have washed him from head to toe, just to be on the safe side. He guessed that Derek was waiting for an explanation for the make up and the dark circles. Well, he would be waiting a while. Jackson still wasn’t ready to talk to him, especially since he wasn’t fit enough to avoid him.

Derek sighed and sat on the edge of the bed. “What happened?”

“Nothing.”

Jackson knew that would annoy Derek. He also knew that Derek would think him an idiot for being shot with an arrow. He was in a lose-lose situation and decided it would be best if he could bluff his way through this. He stared at the darkened ceiling, not wanting to look at the other in the room. He had no idea how long he was going to be in that bed.

“Did you want to tell me why your healing hasn’t kicked in?”

With a shrug, Jackson turned his head away from Derek. He didn’t sound concerned in the slightest, which told him that Derek really didn’t care. The pain was the only thing that reminded Jackson that he could feel anything, even if he didn’t want to. He was stuck in a ball of nothing, except when he was injured and felt alive. He got the feeling that he really shouldn’t share that piece of information with Derek.

“So you decided it was a good idea to play around with your lung and see how long it would take to heal naturally?” Derek shook his head and Jackson flinched.

“It wasn’t…” He trailed off and closed his eyes, wishing he could stand and leave this place. Perhaps if Derek thought that he was healed, he could walk out of there right then.

Concentrating as hard as he could, Jackson forced his healing to work in overtime. It was a bumpy road, though. He could feel his ribs moving into place and cracking as they were set. The rip in his lung basically stitched itself back together, which was about as pleasant as ripping it open was. He turned his head to the other side and coughed out the blood. With his ribs and lung healed, he figured that was good enough and sat up.

He got to his feet, which ended with him falling to his knees as a head spin from hell took over him. When the world finally stopped spinning, Jackson got to his feet again and made his way towards the door. He got to the stairs and paused, glancing at the banister. He could jump over it and then redo the stitches at home. That seemed to be the fastest way out of there.

“You aren’t fully healed, are you? With how much you had to concentrate on the healing, I thought you would’ve at least healed everything.” Derek sniffed along Jackson’s shoulder. “Your blood is still too low. When was the last time you ate?”

Jackson turned to Derek and snarled at him. Derek’s eyes flashed red, but Jackson refused to back down. _No one_ had the right to question him. No one bothered to check up on him when the shit hit the fan. No one bothered to check up on him after the shit with the kanima settled down. He was alone and he was fine with that. Derek was only doing what he thought he had to, in order to be a good alpha.

“Sorry I called you,” he snapped and walked down the stairs. He desperately wished that his exit was faster and more graceful. He ripped three stitches just by violently turning away.

Once he was at the door, he paused when Derek asked, “Why did you call me?”

Jackson lowered his eyes. “Exsanguination induced insanity,” he answered and left.

He was half way through the woods when the healed ribs gave out. He could feel the bones scratching at his lung and rested against a tree, a hand over the pulled stitches that were bleeding. He really couldn’t understand why Derek didn’t have super glue in that house. When he thought about it, Jackson was surprised that Derek had that kind of medical kit in the house.

Jackson snarled and spun around, claws out and swiping at the idiot that would try to sneak up on him. His wrist was caught and apathetic black eyes gazed at him. Jackson blinked and tilted his head. He sniffed at the stranger, which didn’t seem bothered by the act. His eyes dropped to the pulled stitches. Cold fingertips were run over the wound and Jackson tried to get his hand free, while the other gripped a branch and crushed it. The stranger’s grip was worse than iron.

The fingertips left his body and Jackson blinked. There was no pain. As if to prove a point, he looked down at his torso. He was completely healed and there wasn’t a scar. When he looked up, the stranger was gone. Jackson looked in all directions, hoping to catch a glimpse of him. He needed to thank that person that would heal him. How had he done that? What was that strange scent he had?

Jackson gasped and jumped when Derek appeared in front of him. The alpha frowned and gazed at the woundless bare torso. His eyes flickered up to Jackson’s. The other quickly averted his eyes, staring at the ground. He wasn’t ready to explain anything to Derek, merely because he had no idea how to explain it. What could he say? The truth would be a good start, but he wasn’t ready to reveal that.

His hand twitched, which brought it to Jackson’s attention. It was still covered with his blood. So it wasn’t a bad dream and he wasn’t sleepwalking. The wound was real and now it was gone, because of some stranger with black eyes. Jackson shied away from Derek’s hand that was getting ready to touch his shoulder. He was forced to endure his touches when he couldn’t move. Now that he could, he would be damned if he was going to let Derek touch him just for the hell of it.

“I heard you. What happened?”

Jackson shook his head and stepped around Derek. Too much was happening too quickly. He needed time alone to sort it all out. Maybe then he would consider talking to someone, probably a professional since they were equipped to deal with this sort of delirium and could give out decent drugs, which would have no effect on him. He went to take a step, but paused and turned to Derek. The alpha looked at him expectantly and Jackson had no idea what to say.

As much as he wanted to talk to Derek and get his advice, Jackson just stared at him. He knew his lips were parted, ready to say something, but he couldn’t think of a thing to say. He was forced to stare at Derek for a few minutes, before he turned away again and walked off. Derek didn’t care. He just didn’t want any of his pack distracted by Jackson’s strange behavior. Maybe he should have told Derek that he didn’t plan on attending any more pack meetings.

“You should.”

Jackson’s head snapped up and he stopped, gazing at the stranger that was in front of him. Black hair fell below his shoulders as the head was tipped back. If he strained his hearing, he could make out the calm beating of the heart. Jackson got the feeling that nothing took this person by surprise and thought that he might be able to share some tips.

“I should what?”

The stranger leveled his head and turned to face Jackson. The black eyes were in fact dark green. “You should continue to attend the pack meetings,” he clarified.

Jackson took a step back, wary of this stranger that read his mind. He raised an eyebrow. “Who are you?”

The stranger’s beautifully handsome face collapsed in a soft, sad smile. “Who I am is not as important as what I am. What I am is none of your concern right now.” The smile disappeared. “I would like to apologize, however.”

Jackson frowned and tilted his head. “Apologize for what?”

“The arrow that you took yesterday was because of me.” The stranger looked at Jackson’s bare torso. “You need to rip into yourself because of something that was meant for me.”

“That’s why you healed me, isn’t it?” Jackson lowered his eyes. For a stupid moment, he thought he had found someone that wanted to be nice to him for the sake of being nice. Instead, he found something that felt compelled to heal him because he was indirectly responsible.

Jackson looked up in time to see something flitter across the dark eyes. The stranger stepped forward and placed a hand on Jackson’s shoulder. By the time he shook it off, Jackson was in his bedroom. He looked around for a moment, before he ran to the bathroom and threw up. At least, he attempted to vomit, but he had nothing in his stomach aside from acid.

He coughed and spat into the toilet. He flushed it and rinsed out his mouth, watching the stranger through the mirror. “What the hell are you?” The stranger looked up and his eyes flashed red. Jackson spun around, staring at the man with wide eyes. The stranger wasn’t an alpha, but he was something powerful. “What are you?” he repeated.

Jackson walked out of the bathroom and the stranger began looking around. He picked up a chemistry book and flipped through. Jackson actually got the feeling that the man was reading it. He waited as patiently as he could for the man to answer, but that was starting to fail. He was getting agitated by the lack of response. However, he remembered what the stranger said about what he is being of no concern.

“Who shot me with an arrow?” he inquired.

The stranger looked up. “A hunter,” he answered simply. “They were hunting me, but they are inexperienced and have no idea what I look like. They saw you and decided you had to be me. I am sorry for that.”

Jackson sighed and shook his head. “A hunter for _what_? You seem to know what we are, even though you haven’t said anything.” He eyed the stranger cautiously. The man didn’t seem ready to mention what the hunters were hunting. “Can you at least tell me your name?”

The stranger hesitated for a split second. It was the only human action that had transpired since Jackson met him. “Damien,” he finally said. “I know who you are, Jackson.”

With a shrug, Jackson sat on his bed and studied Damien. He didn’t believe for a moment that that was his name. No one hesitated when telling someone their name, especially not someone that could freaking _teleport_. It was the strangest experience in his life, but Jackson honestly hoped that he could do it again. The next time he hoped to do so without vomiting afterwards.

Damien glanced at him. “Are you okay?”

Jackson blinked at the question. No one had asked him that. Danny asked him if everything was all right and technically, it was. There wasn’t a problem. Derek just kept asking if anything was wrong, not really caring about Jackson’s mental state. Having someone ask about him specifically made Jackson flinch. He was so used to people not caring about what he was going through that he had no idea how to answer that.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” he lied and ducked his head. “I have some problems. But who today doesn’t?” He looked up and forced a grin.

Damien tilted his head to the side, blinking slowly. “Derek did offer to listen if you wanted to talk. I suggest you take him up on that offer.” He walked towards the bedroom door and paused. “What are you thinking?”

Jackson’s eyes widened. It was the same sentence that popped into his head whenever he thought about Derek as of late. He blushed and lowered his head. “Nothing,” he muttered and closed his eyes. It was odd being around a mind reader.

“I’ll sell my soul to dream him wide awake,” Damien quoted and Jackson looked up. There was a gentle smile on his face. “You do not need to sell your soul. You could try actually talking to him. You might be surprised about what can come of that.”

Jackson stared at door. He couldn’t hear any footsteps descending the stairs, but he knew that Damien had left. He stood up and went to the window, looking out into the backyard. Derek wasn’t there and Jackson wasn’t expecting him. The gutter was fixed, though and the roses were trying to be salvaged. He almost felt sorry for the plants, but they had gotten their revenge on him.

Damien’s words came back to him. Jackson knew he had strong feelings for Derek. There was something so attractive about someone that could murder him in an instant that turned Jackson on. He had no idea what it was and didn’t want to analyze it too much. He just wanted Derek in him, around him and beside him.

Jackson closed his eyes and flopped back on his bed. For the first time in a long while, he felt the need to sleep without being plagued by nightmares. He opened his eyes and smiled at his ceiling, deciding that he should continue attendance at the pack meetings. He might be able to get Derek alone and have a decent talk with him. That was if Derek could be bothered with him, though.

With a sigh, the smile slipped from his face and he sat up. He peeled off the pants and went into the bathroom, showering quickly. He exhaled sharply as the hot water his back. He hung his head and closed his eyes, feeling some of the tension leaving his tired muscles. His head snapped up and he frowned at the tiles in front of him as his stomach growled. He ran his hand along his clavicle, realizing just how exposed they were since he lost weight.

Derek had seen him naked before. The weight loss didn’t seem to bother him too much, though. Shaking his head, Jackson turned off the shower and roughly dried his body before wrapping the towel around his hips. He went into his bedroom, his eyes instantly drawn to the open window. He inhaled deeply, but caught no scents that were out of place. He closed the window and crossed his arms on it. He murmured Derek’s name as he stared at the tree that Derek usually stood under when he was watching the house.

Jackson shook his head, trying to get his hormones and idiotic, ideally romanticized notions out of his mind. He usually got what he wanted, but there were times that he knew to take a step back and realize he had no hope in hell. Derek had too much going on with the pack to worry about anything else, much less playing into Jackson’s fantasies. He laughed humorlessly and went to his bed, lying down and closing his eyes. He may as well get some sleep before the next meet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the kudos! Glad you're enjoyed the last chapter. I hope y'all enjoyed this one. Chapter three should be out soon.
> 
> Until the next one!
> 
> Auska.


	3. Chapter III

**~Dying Angel Style~**

**By:** Aerys Krystie

oOo

Derek finished wrapping up the talking portion of the meeting, which ended with him mentioning the new hunters in town. Everyone’s ears perked up, wanting to know more about these people. Derek admitted to not knowing much, except the hunters were not after them. Jackson kept his eyes on the floor, intermittently listening to what Derek was saying. He raised his head when someone sneezed. He assumed it was Isaac, as he was the one apologizing.

Jackson tilted his head, unable to believe that the werewolf gene could cure any disease, infection or parasite, but the common cold was still elusive. There was something oddly humorous in that kind of thinking that made Jackson want to laugh. They were virtually unstoppable until someone released the common cold. However, at least it was the same for humans.

Derek just stared at Isaac with hard eyes. Showing up to a pack meet with a cold was a good way to get them all infected. Isaac lowered his head and mumbled an apology. Derek shook his head and called the meeting to an end, since he didn’t want to run the risk of the virus getting stronger through them and likely killing a human they passed it onto. Jackson was about to leave when he heard Derek growl his name. He froze like a deer in the headlights and meekly glanced at him.

The others snickered and made comments as they left. Isaac tried grinning at him, which ended in a sneeze. Jackson shook his head and waited until all of them were gone. Derek stared at him and beckoned him to follow. Jackson was on guard instantly. As he followed Derek, he made sure to walk where he did. They ended up in the bedroom that Jackson was taken to when he had his little accident. He spent a few moments taking in the fire damage, curious on how Derek could stand the smell of burned wood, paint and glue.

“Did you scar?” Derek asked as he crossed his arms.

Jackson shook his head, finally turning his eyes to Derek. “No.”

In two steps, Derek was up close to Jackson. He didn’t ask permission as he lifted up the four shirts that Jackson wore. He ran his fingers over the smooth, pale flesh. He looked up to see Jackson gazing at him coldly with an eyebrow cocked. Derek straightened his shoulders and stepped away from the teen. He wasn’t used to Jackson looking at him like that. There wasn’t an ounce of fear in him, either.

“If you didn’t believe me, you could have _asked_ me to lift my shirts.” Jackson glared as he fixed his shirts. “Was there anything else I could help you with?”

Derek tilted his head slightly, as though straining his hearing. He frowned and approached Jackson again. The new pup stood his ground and straightened his posture. He was challenging and showing that he no longer feared anything that Derek could do to him. Jackson was always going to be a problem and it was something he happily reminded Derek of, especially recently.

Searching Jackson’s baby blues, Derek tried to figure out what had changed. It had been months since the kanima incident, but there had to be residual feelings that wouldn’t go away. Derek had offered to listen if Jackson wanted to talk. It seemed apparent that Jackson didn’t want to talk and Derek understood that. Jackson was a lot like him in some instances, such as talking about his problems would make him feel weak.

While Derek could deal with those issues, Jackson wasn’t that strong. That was evident from the amount of make up he was wearing and the weight loss. Jackson was clearly depressed, but he wasn’t seeking any help for it. Derek was trying his hardest to reach out to him, but there was only so much he could do. Jackson _had_ to meet him half way to make it easier.

Taking a step back again, Derek asked, “How’s school going?”

Jackson frowned and glanced around, suspicious and Derek exhaled slowly. Jackson was more messed up that he previously thought. It seemed to have gotten to the point that any form of kindness put him on guard; waiting for the next horrible thing to happen. Derek understood it and was really hoping that he could get through to the kid. It pained him to see Jackson so wary and terrified of what lied around the next corner.

Content for the moment that nothing was going to happen, Jackson looked back at Derek. “Fine,” he answered with a shrug.

Derek nodded slowly and moved to the side, leaving the way to the door open in case Jackson wanted to leave. “I need to know why you performed surgery on yourself, Jackson,” he said softly.

He watched as Jackson’s eyes softened for a split second, as though happy that he cared. It instantly turned into suspicion and anger again, as though he saw something in Derek’s eyes that he didn’t like. So he shrugged. “Seemed like a good idea at the time.”

Derek narrowed his eyes and kept his own anger down. “You went into shock from pain and blood loss, Jackson. _Why_ did you do that?”

“Look, I’m sorry that I inconvenienced you. It won’t happen again. I have no intention of digging around in my lung again. Happy now?”

Derek shook his head. “You didn’t ‘inconvenience’ me,” he grounded out. “You scared me. Do you have any idea how it feels to know that one of your pack members is suicidal and you didn’t notice?”

Jackson snarled. “Don’t worry, I’m not suicidal. Your conscience is clear,” he snapped and headed for the door.

Derek grabbed his arm and spun him around. “You’re starving yourself, you idiot. If that isn’t suicidal, then I’m at a loss.”

Sorrow flashed through Jackson’s eyes, but he looked away quickly. “Stop pretending to care,” he said and sighed. All emotions left Jackson and he gazed at Derek blankly. “Just stop it.”

Derek tightened his grip on Jackson’s arm, wanting to get some kind of a reaction to him. Nothing happened, so he did the next best thing he could think of. He pulled Jackson to him and hugged him tightly. He got a reaction, but it really wasn’t one that he wanted. Jackson kneed him between the legs and Derek hissed, stepping back. He stared at Jackson, not entirely sure if that attack was a good or bad thing to happen.

With a growl, Derek gripped the front of Jackson’s hoodie and threw him into a wall. The teen fell to his hands and knees, coughing up remaining blood from his injured lung. He raised his head and glared, angered and yet still completely in control of the animal inside of him. Derek was impressed. He honestly thought that Jackson would give into the wolf and attempt to kill him.

Jackson ran at him. Derek had watched him enough times during their training to know all of his moves. Originality was something that Jackson lacked when it came to attacking. However, that seemed to change as he used his natural agility and speed to his advantage. Derek actually found himself having to work at grabbing Jackson. He was also filled with a sense of pride that something with Jackson had finally paid off.

It took longer than expected, but in under a minute, Derek had Jackson pinned beneath him. The teen was panting and struggling to get free, so Derek pressed his hips to Jackson’s more firmly. He had managed to tear open the hoodie and three of the shirts that Jackson wore. Eventually, Jackson finally settled down and glared at him. He was still angry, but Derek had no idea why he was. Derek was getting annoyed at not knowing anything that was happening with his newest wolf.

“Why are you angry?” Derek asked quietly, trying really hard to be a good person and help someone out. Jackson, on the other hand, just continued to glare. “Are you angry at me?”

The raging flame inside of Jackson slowly died off. “I wish I was,” he answered and Derek felt he was finally getting honest replies.

“Are you angry at yourself?” Jackson turned his head to the side, exposing that beautiful throat. Derek lowered his head to the pale flesh, pressing his lips to it gently. Jackson tensed instantly and Derek pulled back. “Why are you angry with yourself, Jackson?”

“I’m not.”

They had returned to the lies. Derek sighed and gathered Jackson’s wrists into one hand. He forced Jackson to look at him. In the blue eyes he saw the self-loathing and the lack of trust. There wasn’t confidence. There was nothing of the old Jackson in those amazing eyes. Derek moved his face closer to Jackson’s, wanting to offer some kind of comfort. Jackson had other ideas, though.

Derek blinked as they were rolled. Jackson sat on him, narrowing his eyes. He had no idea how Jackson became so strong or so conniving lately. Derek snarled when Jackson punched him and threw the pup from him, sitting up and spitting out a tooth and blood. He stared at the mess by his leg and frowned. Jackson never had that kind of strength before. It was impossible for him to do something like that.

He didn’t look where he was throwing Jackson, just as long as he was away and couldn’t attack him again. He did manage to throw Jackson out of a busted window. There was a crack and a thump as he landed on the damaged roof and fell to the ground.

Going to the window, Derek saw Jackson making his way into the forest slowly, holding his side and limping. He turned and gazed at Derek, smirking, which made Derek frown. Why would Jackson want to be thrown out of a window? That was the most insane thing he had ever heard. Yet in some odd, sick and strange way, it made sense. Physical pain told Jackson that he was still alive and he needed that pain.

The sun started setting and Derek felt a shiver run down his spine. He forgot how good it was to have Jackson at his mercy. He had no idea why it felt that good, but it always did. He loved having that boy unable to move. He shook his head. He couldn’t think like that and he would be damned if he was going to push Jackson any further from him. All he had to do was try to get him to open up, which was proving to a hard task.

Derek always thought that Jackson was weak and pathetic. He usually let the fear rule him. That was something that Derek liked about him, though. He loved the smell of Jackson’s fear. He did prefer the scent of anger on him, though, especially when it was battling with his fear. These days, there was no scent from his emotions. It was as if he didn’t care and that was a bad path to take.

With a deep breath, Derek jumped out of the window and followed Jackson. He would not leave the boy’s room until Jackson shared something with him. He knew what it was like to go down that path alone and how hard it was to get back. It was too easy to lose the way. He couldn’t think of Jackson walking it alone.

oOo

Jackson managed to get up to the roof outside of his window. He opened it and fell into his bedroom. He stayed in the heap for a long while, not wanting to move. His eyes closed and he was more than content to fall asleep right there. Another presence forced his eyes open, though and he looked around. He saw Damien standing by his desk.

“What are you doing here?” Jackson asked as he sat up and shoved his shoulder back into place. He moaned and closed his eyes, enjoying the pain.

“Why do you not speak with Derek?” Damien inquired softly as he flipped through Jackson’s history book. He quirked an eyebrow at some sections and had an amused smile at others.

Jackson shook his head. “I would sell my soul if it meant he’d feel the same way. I’ve found it easier to just push down the feelings and go on as if nothing’s happened.” He shrugged and stood, heading into the bathroom.

“I am really only here to give you something. I still feel that I should apologize for what happened. Even if you do throw it out, just know that I only wanted to help.” There was a small pause and Jackson stuck his head into the bedroom. “How are you enjoying having no fear of Derek?”

Jackson blinked. It was all he could do. He couldn’t bring himself to believe that someone had actually managed to take away his fear of Derek. Though, for the last two days since he met Damien, nothing scared him. There was no fear in him and he actually liked it, but then he realized what was different. It was probably the reason why he could avoid Derek during combat, since he wasn’t frozen in fear.

“Thank you,” he said and looked at the small, slim vial on his desk. With a curious frown, Jackson crossed over to his desk and picked up the vial. It was half filled with a red liquid, which was thick and smelled strongly like blood. “What’s this?”

“Whatever you want it to be,” Damien said and sat down on the chair. He crossed his legs.

Jackson coated the inside of the vial with the blood. He pulled out the stopper and licked it, frowning at the sweet taste. He put the stopper back in and tilted his head, curious on why the blood tasted like an orange. Damien was watching him with apathetic eyes.

“Why are you here?”

“I already said that I am here to apologize.”

“Yeah, okay. That explains why you’re in my room. That doesn’t explain why you’re in Beacon Hills.” Jackson cocked an eyebrow.

Damien smirked and Jackson frowned. He had only ever seen Damien smile before. The smirk, cruel and hard, didn’t seem to suit his delicate features. “I chased my brother here.”

“You’re not Damien, are you?”

“Nope! Strangely enough, my name is Derek. This gonna get confusing, unless you call me by usual name – Taiyou. That blood is my brother’s blood. He’s always tasted like oranges, for some reason. He would give it as a gift, but you might wanna talk to him about that. Just call for Tsuki. It’s been so long since he used his English name that he’s probably forgotten what it is.”

Before Jackson could open his mouth, Damien/Derek/Taiyou disappeared from the room. He sighed and sat on the bed, staring at the vial of blood. He had no idea what the blood would do to him and he knew that he would have to talk to Derek to figure out what he was dealing with. He slipped the vial into the pocket of his jeans. Whatever Damien or Derek or Taiyou was couldn’t be anything good.

His Derek was the only one that Jackson could think of that might have any idea of what was happening. He knew that Beacon Hills was a strange place, especially in the last year. He sighed and closed his eyes. He opened his eyes after a moment and stared at his ceiling. Damien/Derek/Taiyou was a weird person and Jackson wanted to know why he seemed to attract them. Did he give off some kind of pheromone that drew them in like a magnet?

Jackson rolled onto his side and pulled out the vial. He stared at it in the fading light, unsure of what to do with it. Something told him that it was a bad idea to drink it. He had no idea how the hell to contact the owner of the blood, though. What’s-his-name said that he needed to call out ‘Tsuki,’ whatever that was. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to touch that can of worms. Why would Damien/Derek/Taiyou – what the serious fuck was up with having three names? – be chasing his brother?

If anyone was to know about strangers being in the town, it would be Derek. After all, it was his job to make sure that nothing too bad happened. There were some things that he couldn’t do anything about, though. Jackson got the feeling that these two strangers were part of that ‘can’t do jack shit about it’ pile. That didn’t inspire much confidence. The blood might give Derek some idea of what he’s dealing with, though.

Jackson sat up and looked around. He tilted his head when he saw Damien standing by a window, except he was in a white tee shirt and jeans. He raised his head and gazed at Jackson. “My brother likely warned you about me. He would not have said anything outright, but allowed the suggestion of me being a horrible monster to settle in your mind.” He stepped closer to the bed and bowed. “I am Tsuki.”

Before he could stop it, Jackson laughed and shook his head. “You’re joking, right?” he asked as he got off the bed. “Tsuki, as in Japanese for ‘moon’?”

Tsuki tilted his head. “Would you prefer if I introduced myself as Lune?”

Jackson shook his head and extended his head. There was something about Tsuki that he trusted more than Damien/Derek/Taiyou. “No, I just found it interesting that your name is moon and you’re talking to a werewolf.”

Tsuki held up the vial of blood and Jackson looked at his hand. He was holding that vial. Tsuki hadn’t moved since he stepped forward and bowed. How the hell did he get that vial without twitching? What the hell were they dealing with?

“This is my blood, but it is not a gift. If you would like it, I can give it to you.” Tsuki’s eyes flickered to Jackson and he blinked. “I need to speak with Derek first, though. Your Derek,” he clarified and disappeared from the room.

Jackson blinked. “What the hell is going on?”

oOo

Derek ran through the woods, coming to a skidding halt when someone appeared in front of him. He snarled and the other tilted his head, as though confused by the show of aggression. Derek stepped back and frowned. That wasn’t normal for a human. He inhaled deeply, trying to recognize the scent that was surrounding the stranger. It was citrus, that’s all he could smell.

He advanced on the stranger. “Sit.”

Derek’s eyes widened when he forced onto his ass, hands between his legs. He growled and tried to stand, but found that he was unable to. He had never heard of any kind of creature that could take full control over someone’s body, not without selling their soul to the devil to obtain that kind of power. He settled down and tried to get comfortable.

“What are you?”

“I am something that you have never come across.” The stranger crouched down in front of him, apathetic dark green eyes gazed at him. “I am nothing you will ever come across again.”

“So _what_ are you?” Derek demanded again, trying to keep his anger under control. He had no idea why this _thing_ was talking to him and he was almost certain he didn’t want to know.

“What I am is irrelevant.” The stranger placed a hand on Derek’s head and ruffled his hair. Derek snarled and tried to shift, wanting to rip off that condescending hand and shove it where the sun didn’t shine. “I can control your werewolf gene, as well. If you keep this up, I can completely remove it.”

Derek calmed down, but continued to glare at this stranger. “What’s your name, then?”

The stranger tilted his head, as though he wasn’t asked that often. However, Derek soon realized what it was as the stranger stood and turned his back to Derek. “Come out, Uncle Peter. We can have a little family reunion.”

Peter walked out from behind a tree and gazed at the stranger. “Well, this is gonna be fun,” he said as he stood beside Derek. “Who did you piss off now?”

“I thought this was because of something you did,” Derek shot back with a glare.

“It was something you both did,” the stranger supplied.

“Do you mind?” Peter demanded indignantly. “I’m trying to have a conversation with my nephew.”

The stranger tilted his head and Peter gasped, hands around his throat. The stranger held up his hand and Derek frowned. He couldn’t be certain, but that looked like someone’s throat. His eyes flickered over to his uncle, which was on his knees and still gasping for breath. The stranger dropped the bloody piece by Peter’s hand and turned his attention back to Derek.

“I am nothing like you have ever seen before,” he clarified and Derek nodded slowly.

Still staring at his uncle, Derek had to wonder what this stranger was. Peter should have been dead seconds ago without his throat, which meant that the stranger was keeping alive, forcing him to suffer the pain. Derek turned his eyes to the stranger. There wasn’t an ounce of strain on his ghostly white face. This was a foe that they wouldn’t be able to take down easily.

“I am not here to become your enemy, Derek. However, if you did make an enemy of me, you would not survive it. My older brother is in town and you could barely handle him. Have you noticed anything strange with Jackson lately? He might seem a little depressed and masochistic. Is anything standing out to you, yet?”

Derek wanted to glare. He wanted to rip the stranger apart, limb from limb. However, that was only because he had a point. It took Derek months to realize that something was upsetting Jackson to the point that he withdrew into himself. He knew that Jackson was having a hard time with being a werewolf after the shit with the kanima. Derek didn’t know how to handle Jackson, though.

The stranger nodded slowly and crouched down before Derek. “He has opened himself to an evil influence. And trust me when I say that you will lose him if you do not help him.”

Derek frowned and found that he could move. He pounced on the stranger, claws digging into the pale throat. He snarled and froze when he caught the scent of the blood. It smelled like oranges and he knew he had read somewhere about that. For the life of him, he couldn’t remember what it was and with Peter currently still dying, Derek would need to find someone.

“What do you see?” the stranger inquired.

Against his will, Derek’s eyes closed and he saw light filtered through clouds. The gentle scent of oranges washed over him for a second. He blinked and the clouds became plumes of smoke. He could hear people dying, screaming and begging. A battlefield lay before him and Derek wanted to step back; wanting to turn his back to it. Blood flooded on the parched land. He looked up and saw the stranger standing on a hill, surrounded by the fallen. Sorrow and rage in his eyes and Derek was fearful for his life.

He gasped as he came back. He was on his back, staring at the gray skies of Beacon Hills. The stranger had power that he kept locked away. He sat up and looked around, finding that he was alone with Peter. The older wolf was passed out and didn’t seem to have a problem with breathing. The stranger had clearly decided to return his throat.

Shaking his head, Derek stood and ran towards the town, deciding that Peter would be fine on his own. He made his way to Jackson’s house and let him in the way Jackson always did. The room was empty, but the bathroom door opened and Jackson walked out with a towel around his hips. He froze when he saw Derek and looked around, clearly wondering if an intervention was happening.

Derek forced his eyes to stay on Jackson’s face, which didn’t help the issue much. Being sexually attracted to a pup wasn’t a good thing. Derek could easily blame the fact that Jackson was his first bite and also his first failure. He needed to make sure that that failure didn’t happen again, though it seemed to be going in that direction.

“Can we talk?” Derek inquired as he moved over to Jackson’s desk and looked at the books that were spread out. “I need to know what’s happening to you.”

Jackson snarled, but quickly regained control. That was something that Derek had spent months working with him on. Jackson was unfortunately a little too hot tempered. Yet, now he seemed to have complete control over the wolf. Derek turned to him and watched his eyes. He got the feeling that something had happened to them.

“Shift into your wolf, Jackson,” he ordered and raised an eyebrow when Jackson crossed his arms. He was being defiant and Derek had to admit, he enjoyed that. “Shift, Jackson.”

“Drop dead.”

Derek smirked and rested against the desk, crossing his legs at the ankles. He knew that if he was cocky and condescending enough, Jackson would change.  “You almost look adorable when you try to fight me. We both know that it’ll happen. Just do it.”

“I’ve changed,” Jackson stated and lowered his head slightly, blocking off his throat. “I’ve gotten more help from a stranger in the past few days than I _ever_ got from the months under your care. I don’t answer to you anymore, Derek.” He went to his closet and removed the towel. He pulled on boxer briefs before he stepped back. “You really aren’t leadership material.”

Derek felt the alpha coming out. He grabbed Jackson and threw him onto the bed. The other lied there, eyebrow arched in anticipation of the next move. Derek growled low, removing his jacket and shirt. “Show me how much you’ve changed, then. Prove to me that you don’t need me to save your ass.” When Jackson didn’t look ready to bite, he sweetened the bait. “I _dare_ you.”

Jackson’s eyes widened and Derek fought to keep the smirk from his face. He would always know how to push Jackson’s buttons. He knew everything there was to know about that boy. He knew his hopes, dreams and his worst fears. He knew what made him tick and what made him mellow. He knew of the secret desires and he knew that Jackson could never back down from a dare.

However, the moment Jackson’s eyes changed, Derek no longer had to fight to keep the smirk off. He took a step back, watching the vortexes that were Jackson’s eyes. They swirled between the vibrant blue to silver, constantly, never ending. Then the change happened and Jackson didn’t just get the furry face and claws. He turned into something that made Derek take a step back.

Derek’s eyes flashed red and the alpha came out. There was no fear from the wolf in front of him. There was nothing, but pure instinct and Derek knew what that meant. It was going to be a fight to the death. He had threatened Jackson and Jackson was ready to remove that threat from his life, even if it meant killing his alpha. There was no way of getting through to him now. The moment he saw those ever changing eyes, Derek knew that he had lost Jackson.

Jackson threw back his head and howled: calling for blood and an audience. Derek knew that Jackson would have his pound of flesh before the hour was over. He would take it with others watching; proving to them that he was the next one to beat and that it would be impossible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the kudos, guys! Loving y'all. The next chapter will hopefully be out soon. These near daily updates are strange, aren't they?  
> Thanks to the people that have left comments. I'm glad you're enjoying it and hope to hear from ya again!
> 
> Until the next one!
> 
> Peace.  
> Auska.


	4. Chapter IV

**~Dying Angel Style~**

**By:** Aerys Krystie.

oOo

Scott was sitting with Stiles in his room, gazing blankly at his chemistry homework. He knew he should be focused on it, but something was tugging at the edges of his mind. Something bad was about to go down. There was a shift in power and he had no idea where it was coming from. Something evil was walking the streets of Beacon Hills, but he didn’t have the proof to start a hunt for it.

He jumped to his feet when he heard the howl. Stiles looked up, frowning and tilting his head. He asked if California actually had wolves, despite knowing the answer. Scott shook his head. While that sounded like a regular wolf to Stiles, he could hear the slight alteration to the voice. It wasn’t asking for him to join; it was _demanding_ him to be there. The pull was strong.

Scott grabbed Stiles’ arm and dragged him down the stairs and out the door. They got in his car and Scott strained his ears, waiting for the next howl. The first one had come from the town, but that had to be insane. Not one of Derek’s pack would be crazy enough to actually howl in the middle of town. Derek had taught them better than that.

They found Isaac standing in the middle of the street, looking around wildly. Stiles pulled over and Isaac jumped in the back, firing questions. Scott and Stiles shouted back at him. They had no idea what it was. Stiles thought it was a regular wolf. Isaac and Scott both knew that there was something supernatural happening around them.

Another howl sounded. Again, it demanded their presence. Isaac and Scott glanced at each other. Stiles watched them. “What? What is it?” he nearly screamed at them.

Scott sighed. “The wolf that’s howling… We’ve never heard it before. We don’t know if it’s a friend or a foe.”

“All we know is that it’s calling for someone’s blood.” Isaac fidgeted in the backseat. “Should we really be running towards this thing? I mean, I’ve never heard any one of us calling out for blood like that.”

“Your alpha needs you.”

Stiles screamed and slammed on the brakes at the sound of a new voice. He turned in the seat and stared at the stranger. Scott felt his back stiffen as he also turned. Isaac was pressed against the door of the car, scared half to death. Scott was trying to calm his heart, as well. He hadn’t heard a door open, but he wasn’t stupid enough to believe that someone could just appear. It was more likely that the stranger was waiting in the trunk and climbed out.

“He isn’t my alpha,” Scott said and glanced at Stiles.

“Then you should be there to see the show. He will be going for you next, if you test him.” The stranger’s eyes slid over to Isaac. “Be there to power your alpha. He needs to be around his pack for the final moments.”

Scott’s eyes widened and his mouth fell open when the stranger disappeared. The car started moving again and Stiles cried out, trying to regain control. Scott continued to stare at the area that the stranger was sitting. If werewolves existed, what else was lurking in the shadows of night? Something told him that he really didn’t want to know.

The car came to a gentle stop in front of the woods. It was the most used track to the Hale house. The three males climbed out of the car and ran towards it. There was another howl and Scott could hear what he assumed were Erica and Boyd. No one could resist the call, it seemed. Maybe the stranger had approached them and told them to be with their alpha.

They reached the house at the same time with Erica and Boyd. Stiles brought up the rear, but he held his own for a human against werewolves. They found Derek standing several yards from the front steps, staring intently at the door. Scott sniffed the air and frowned at the strange scent. It was nearly all wolf, but there was something else mingling with it. Something that he couldn’t put his finger on, but he knew it.

“Derek ––” Isaac began as he took a step forward.

“Stay back,” Derek snapped without taking his eyes from the door. “He’s coming.”

“Who’s coming?” Stiles demanded as he caught his breath.

Scott stared at the door. He finally figured out what that other scent was. “Jackson,” he answered as the door opened. He couldn’t help it when his mouth fell open as Jackson walked out. “Holy sh ––”

 

oOo

 

Derek didn’t know what had happened. He didn’t know how it happened. All he knew was that he couldn’t allow it to go on. He couldn’t fight Jackson in the bedroom of the teen’s house. Jackson seemed to have the same idea. The wall exploded behind Derek and the alpha ducked slightly, covering his head with his hands. Jackson jumped over him easily and ran out of the hole.

Giving chase, Derek instantly knew where they were going. It seemed to be the only battle ground in Beacon Hills. Maybe Jackson wanted Derek to die where most of his family had. Derek had no idea, as communicating with something that was entirely animal was impossible. He had no idea if Jackson understood what he was doing.

He had tried to keep up with Jackson. His werewolf speed was nothing for what Jackson was. Thankfully, Jackson’s scent was easily identified. Derek had been around enough actual wolves to know what they smelled like. Since Jackson didn’t care that Derek was following him, he didn’t bother to cover his scent. Derek had no idea if that was possible. He had only ever heard of these things before, as bedtime stories.

The two bloods had to mix, though. If the stories were anything to go by – and that was all that Derek had – the two bloods had to mix in the one body. It was more dangerous than accepting a bite from an alpha. There wasn’t a fifty-fifty chance of survival when it came to mixing blood. It was a ninety-nine point nine percent chance of death. Derek didn’t even know how Jackson had gotten the blood a wolf-shifter.

Bedtime stories, Derek reminded himself. Shifters were so incredibly rare that even werewolves thought they were legends. Yet, he couldn’t deny the evidence. Jackson was no longer a werewolf. He was something much worse, especially if he didn’t gain control of the magic that came with being a wolf-shifter. Again, that was if the stories were anything to go by.

Wolf-shifters were like ‘princess in the tower that needed rescuing’ to the werewolf pups. They were stories that made them feel good, hearing about wolves that could control elements and create something from nothing. They all knew that they were fairytales, though. Not one werewolf Derek had ever met believed they were real.

There were some documents about shifters, but they were destroyed long ago. The copies that did roam around were with the top families. Derek wondered if his mother knew anything about them, as she enjoyed telling those stories. It was impossible for a werewolf to become a wolf-shifter with the mixing of blood.

Coming to the burned Hale house, Derek stopped and stared at the door. He heard the howl again, but there was something different about it. It was more demanding and Derek had to question why that was. Why did Jackson want an audience so badly? He could slaughter Derek without trying, if he had any kind of handle on his abilities and magic. However, Derek figured he might have a chance.

His pack, Scott and Stiles arrived. He felt his power increase and was happy that they heeded the call of the shifter. He could sense their tension, their anxiety and their curiosity. They wanted to know what was happening. They wanted to know what kind of werewolf howled like that. Derek really didn’t want them there for their own safety. If they tried to stop this fight, they wouldn’t be any match for it.

“Derek ––”

“Stay back,” he snapped, unable to take his eyes from the door. He could feel him coming closer. “He’s coming.”

“Who’s coming?” Stiles demanded and Derek knew he wouldn’t sense it.

He heard Scott’s heart pick up. “Jackson.” As if on cue, the door opened and Jackson walked out in wolf form. Standing five feet at the shoulder, his white coat shimmered silver in the light. His eyes swirled between blue and silver. His fangs were six inches and no one was willing to test the pound per inch. He stood three feet from Derek. “Holy sh ––”

Derek snarled, allowing his wolf to come out. His eyes turned red and he began to circle Jackson. The wolf did the same thing, his tail swaying from side to side in an almost playful manner. Derek watched, trying to find any kind of weakness. While he had claws, Jackson’s coat was remarkably thick. It would take work to get to the skin.

With a snarl, Derek charged at Jackson. The wolf jumped to the side and clamped its jaws on Derek’s thigh. The bone snapped and Derek roared his pain. The pressure lessened, but came back instantly and Derek tried to remain upright. Jackson released him and Derek turned, slowly. He watched as his blood dripped from Jackson’s teeth. His healing was starting to kick in, but it was taking too long. If Jackson got lucky with a throat attack, he would be dead.

Jackson went straight for his throat. Derek caught the jaws, staring into the swirling eyes. They flashed white and a gust of wind broke Derek’s arms. He forced them to work, though. The size of Jackson’s mouth could easily take his head off. He wasn’t ready to give up on his first pup.

“Jackson,” he muttered and the wolf growled. “I don’t want to die.”

Saying the same words that Jackson once said to him seemed to work. The wolf pulled back, backing up a few steps, sitting down and staring at him. It tilted its head and Derek stood, slowly approaching the wolf that wanted to murder him in front of everyone. He had shown his power, but so had Derek. He wasn’t ready to give up on his pack.

Derek glanced at the others. He saw their shock, could smell their fear at what was before them. Derek knew he would have to explain what was happening. Jackson might not know what his body was going through. He didn’t need Jackson feeling as though he was becoming something like the kanima again. That was the last thing any of them needed.

The moment Derek was within a foot of Jackson, he bared his teeth and snapped at him. Derek jumped back, landing painfully on his injured leg. He heard a twig snap and looked over his shoulder. The stranger that had spoken to him about Jackson’s condition was there. He had likely been there since Jackson stopped his attack. This stranger had some kind of power over Jackson, which led Derek’s mind straight back to the kanima.

“He knows who the alpha is, Derek,” the stranger said as he stood beside the werewolf. “He acknowledges my power, just as the others do.”

Derek looked at his pack, Scott and Stiles. All of them had their heads lowered, basically fearful of what would happen if they glanced up. Derek had never seen Scott submit to anyone. Yet the lone wolf stood there, accepting this stranger as an alpha and willing to do anything that was asked of him. That was the kind of control that Derek wanted.

“You can have that control. However, that is not something that you truly want.” The stranger stared directly into Derek’s eyes. One word whispered through the werewolf’s mind: Jackson.

Derek snarled. He really didn’t like it when people knew about him. He had no idea what this stranger was or how he was linked to Jackson’s second transformation in as many years. Clearly, he had some kind of hand to play in this mess. He knew more than he was letting on and Derek couldn’t have that; not while Jackson was in the middle of the playing field.

“I have asked someone in to help Jackson with his…transformation. I would recommend that you do not attempt to threaten them. I had to wake this one up from an eight hundred year sleep.”

Isaac and Stiles glanced at each other. “Eight hundred…” Isaac started.

“…year sleep?” Stiles finished, his eyes lighting up. “Oh no! It is so not possible! Are you talking about a _dragon_?” He couldn’t keep the excited note from his voice.

There was a roar and a massive gust of wind that nearly uprooted trees and pinned them down. When everything settled, a man stood between Derek and Jackson. His eyes shimmered green to red and returned to hazel. He walked straight past Derek and up to the stranger. He got on a knee and bowed his head, murmuring his gratitude at being chosen for the task.

“That is Jackson, your new ward. Teach him and his alpha everything they need to know, Vincent.”

Vincent stood and nodded. “As you command, my Prince,” he said and then turned to Jackson. “You’re not a natural shifter. You can’t even speak in your animal form yet. This is gonna be hell.”

 

oOo

 

After sending the others off – though Stiles refused to leave without asking thirty-nine questions about Vincent – Derek gazed at Jackson. Vincent told him that he had to assert his dominance over Jackson. However, since werewolves were completely inferior to shifters, he was going to have a hard time doing that. Derek had restrained his wolf at that comment. There had to be more than one way of dominating a shifter. He could tell there was from the way that Vincent smirked at him.

“Get him to shift back. I need to see what kind of relationship the two of you have.” Vincent pulled out his cell phone and leaned against a tree, playing some kind of game on it. He wasn’t looking in their direction and Derek got the feeling that he was going to be attacked again.

Derek approached Jackson cautiously. Jackson snarled and Derek pushed down his fear. He had nearly died because of this pup. This cub had been more powerful than him and Derek would be damned if he was going to be intimidated by someone like Jackson. He had been the king of protruding fear, but he wasn’t like that anymore.

“Wow, he’s angry with you,” Vincent muttered without looking up. “What did you do to him?”

Derek glared at the dragon. “I haven’t done anything to him.” He frowned. He wasn’t entirely sure if that was true. He had done a lot to Jackson.

Vincent snorted in disbelief. “Try apologizing to him. He might actually let you near him. You reek of fear, which is better than what you animals normally smell like.”

Derek pursed his lips, ignoring the comment and turned his eyes back to the silver wolf before him. He squared his shoulders and decided to own his fear. He let his wolf out and howled. Jackson tilted his head, returning the howl. He shifted back to a human and fell face first onto the ground, not moving. Derek ran to his side and turned him over. There was a faint heartbeat, but that wasn’t what he wanted to hear.

“He’s unconscious. You have no idea how much energy it takes for a human turned shifter to change. He’ll be fine in a day or two. If he’s out longer than five, he needs to be killed.”

Derek’s eyes snapped to Vincent and he growled at the dragon. Vincent finally looked up from his phone and stared at Derek. He smiled and slipped the phone into his back pocket, going to Jackson and placing an ear to his chest. He pulled back after a minute, a frown on his face. Derek didn’t take that as a good sign.

Without warning, Vincent slapped Jackson hard. The teen woke with a gasp and moved backwards, looking between the two frantically. Derek felt relief fill him. Jackson winced and placed an arm over his stomach as it rumbled. Vincent smirked and stood, beckoning Jackson to follow him into the house. Jackson jumped to his feet and did just that without a question, comment or sarcastic remark.

When Derek looked at the house, his eyes widened. It was fully restored. Derek slowly made his way into the house, feeling a lump forming in his throat. It looked exactly as it had before the fire took everything from him. He touched the paneling on the walls and exhaled shakily. He made his way into the kitchen, one of his favorite rooms of the house. It was always open and airy.

Jackson sat at the small tabling, shoveling scrambled eggs into his mouth, pausing only to drink the orange juice on the table. He looked up when Derek entered and there wasn’t a flicker of recognition in his eyes, which were permanently swirling between blue and silver. He swallowed what was in his mouth and finished his orange juice, tilting his head as he looked Derek over.

“He’s a lot stronger than I thought,” Vincent remarked from behind Derek. “His mind is a little patchy, though. He might have chosen to forget you and all the pain you caused.”

Derek looked over his shoulder, confused on what Vincent meant. The dragon sneered at him and shook his head, as though he couldn’t believe Derek didn’t know.

“You abandoned him when he was the kanima. You wanted to kill him instead of saving him. Then when he woke up as a werewolf, you made him the omega of your pack. You spent more time with the others – _helping_ the others – than you ever did with him. I don’t blame him for wanting to forget about you.” Vincent slipped past Derek and sat opposite Jackson.

“Do I know him?” Jackson asked as his orange juice was refilled.

“You did,” Vincent answered as he pulled out his cell phone. He opened the game he was previously playing. “He was the one that bit you to make you a werewolf, until he threw your unconscious body into the river.”

Jackson’s eyes widened for a second before he glared at Derek. The werewolf held his hands up and left the kitchen. He went upstairs to his bedroom. He knew he shouldn’t be surprised, but it was still a shock to see that everything was how it had been. His dresser had a picture of him and Laura on it. Beside that was a picture of his mother. He opened the draws and found them stocked with clothes in his size.

He could have sworn that the county seized the house and property. Of course, he knew very little when it came to shifters. There were still some things he was learning about werewolves. He couldn’t imagine how bad it must be for Jackson to learn everything about being a shifter.

Derek spun around, staring at the stranger. He was going through a bestiary index. Derek had forgotten about that. He figured it was lost in the fire, which it probably was. However, the little he knew about shifters made them impressive. He knew that they commanded strong magic, which came to them naturally. With that magic, they could basically do whatever they wanted to whoever they wanted. Like everything else, they had to learn control or the magic could consume and corrupt them.

“What are you the prince of?” Derek asked as he stood beside the stranger.

“You would not believe me if I told you,” he said and snapped the book shut. “Do you intend on letting Vincent be the only one to help Jackson?”

Derek sat on the bed. “He doesn’t remember me. Hearing about what I did to him from another person makes me sound like some kind of monster.”

“Just an animal,” the stranger whispered and went to the window. He pulled back the curtains and looked out. “You did what you thought you had to do, Derek. You thought you had to hide your true feelings, so you did. It does not matter that Jackson suffered in the process. As long as no one knew the truth – your truth – about you.”

“My truth?” Derek repeated and stared at the stranger’s back. “What’s that meant to mean?”

“You blame yourself for Jackson’s blue eyes. ‘If only I had kept him overnight. If only I had checked on him during his first full moon.’ I could go on, but I think you get my point.” The stranger turned to him. “You need not blame yourself, Derek. Jackson never did.”

Derek nodded slowly, though he still did blame himself. His mind had a point. If he had been there for Jackson’s first full moon, he could have seen what went wrong. He could have stopped Matt from becoming his master. He could have helped Jackson remember who he was and that he did have a pack. Just because Jackson didn’t blame him didn’t mean that Jackson was right.

He ran his hands through his hair, thinking about the new problem they had. A wolf-shifter was going to mean trouble. Jackson would no longer be the omega. In fact, Derek got the feeling that Jackson would make the entire pack the omega. He would need to remind Jackson of his human ties.

“How did this happen? What wolf-shifter would give their blood to a werewolf?”

The stranger picked up the bestiary book and dumped it on Derek’s lap. “I think it is about time you learned about your own kind and wolf-shifters. This is my version and I have done extensive research on both.”

Derek picked up the book and opened it. There were two chapters – Werewolves and Wolf-Shifters. The book was at least five hundred pages long. So Derek kicked off his shoes and got comfortable on his bed, opening it up to the first page.

 

oOo

 

Jackson hovered awkwardly outside of the bedroom door for the one known as Derek Hale. He had questions for the man, but he was anxious. They had known each other before and there had been a pecking order. Jackson knew he would be at the bottom. As of right now, he was at the bottom.

Vincent never said anything in any way of praise. He didn’t nod or even look up from his cell phone game. When Jackson spied the game, he simply rolled his eyes. He didn’t understand how a dragon-shifter could be so enamored by Candy Crush Saga. Maybe it was the shiny looking candy that attracted Vincent to it.

Unfortunately, Vincent didn’t tell him much else about his time as a werewolf. The only thing he was told was that Derek bit him and then threw him into a river. Jackson had no idea what he was like before he became a wolf-shifter, but he figured he’d done something bad to deserve that. No one throws another into a river for the hell of it. Would they?

It didn’t matter. He was who he was now because of some freak accident. According to Vincent, this wasn’t the first freak accident to happen to Jackson. He didn’t go into any more detail than that, but told him to talk to Derek as he would have the answers that Jackson was desperately seeking. He had been hanging out at the door for the last two nights.

He was brought back to reality when he heard the mattress springs shift. He raised his hand, posed to knock and yet didn’t. Was he ready to know what he was like, through the eyes of another? Did he really want to know what drove someone like Derek to dump his ass in a river? He lowered his hand and stepped back.

No, he wasn’t ready to know what kind of a douche he was. Besides, he was a wolf-shifter now. Derek had absolutely no obligation to him. The werewolf wasn’t going to take time away from his pack just to answer questions of someone that didn’t belong. The idea stung more than he cared to admit, simply because he didn’t understand why.

Why was he drawn to Derek and his pack? What could they offer him that a pack of wolf-shifters couldn’t? Jackson figured it had something to do with the area. Maybe he grew up in the town and knew everyone that was a member of Derek’s pack. Maybe he was an orphan and Derek had taken pity on him, before dumping him in the river. Maybe the cows were blue here and the sun rose in the west.

Jackson shook his head a few times and then placed it against Derek’s door. He couldn’t keep avoiding the werewolf. Derek knew more about him, as horrible as that was. It was easily explained away by Vincent, but Jackson wanted to explain it to Derek. Why did he feel this unnatural desire to talk to Derek about everything? Derek was an alpha. He didn’t need the problem of a wolf-shifter dropped on him.

A searing pain shot through his neck and Jackson stepped back, wincing and touching the area. He blinked at the blood on his fingers and gritted his teeth as the pain worsened. He fell to his hands and knees, mouth opened in silent gasps as he felt his spine shift and ripple. He tried calling out to Vincent, but no sound would come from his mouth.

He closed his eyes and found himself in the hallway of a school. He saw Derek approach him and asked where Scott McCall was. Jackson forced his eyes open, not wanting to see the rest of that scene after he demanded to know why he should talk. The rippling of his bones moved down to his legs and Jackson fell to his side, refusing to close his eyes in pain.

His bones cracked as the rippling moved back up his spine. His body twisted into odd shapes and Vincent walked down the hallway. He watched the scene for a few moments, before he crouched down and gazed at Jackson with bored eyes. The situation wasn’t made any better, but Vincent did turn him over and touch the areas where the pain started from. He sighed and stood up.

“Amazing. Even as a wolf-shifter you’re still connected to him. He marked you properly.” Vincent tilted his head as the cracking and jarring movements stopped. “He really did want you to be part of his pack.”

Jackson panted as he waited for the pain to subside. A shudder ran through his body and he could feel sweat breaking out along his neck and back. It slipped into the marks that appeared and he winced. He shivered and curled into himself. He had no idea what was happening to him and Vincent didn’t seem ready to reveal that information, which angered Jackson. He was the one living it and he needed to know how bad it was going to get.

Vincent sighed and picked up Jackson like he was a doll, slinging him over his shoulder. He walked down the hall and dumped Jackson in the room he had chosen. Not surprising that it was next to Derek’s and had an en suite that connected them. Vincent dropped Jackson onto the bed and told him to sleep. Jackson nodded, unsure if that was going to happen. He didn’t want any more flashbacks of what he was like before he was ‘reborn.’

The pain finally disappeared some three hours later. Jackson got under the covers of the bed, ready to finally get some sleep. He halted and listened to the footsteps that were moving around outside. He could tell that it was werewolves and that there were four of them. His eyes snapped to his bedroom door. He ran out of the room silently, jumping over the banister and landing just as quietly. He crouched, keeping his head lowered. He had no idea how well werewolves could see in the dark, but he doubted it was as good as he could.

He frowned when he heard another three sets of footfalls. There were humans with the werewolves, which could mean something bad. Jackson wasn’t sure. He had no idea how he was meant to react to this. Vincent landed beside him and shook his head, pulling Jackson over to the stairs. Why were those people there? He could understand why three of the werewolves were there, as they were part of Derek’s pack. One was a loner and then there were the humans.

Vincent was a little more forceful when he pulled Jackson over to the stairs. “They cannot see your eyes. They will know something is wrong with you,” he said, his voice barely a whisper.

“I don’t know who I am, Vincent. What if they can offer me something about who I am?” Jackson really hoped that his first encounter with Derek was only a one time thing. He didn’t want to be the town douche.

“Jackson…” Vincent’s eyes swirled between green and red in warning. Jackson shook his head. He wasn’t giving in. “I will not hesitate to kick your ass.” He sighed and ran his hands through his hair. “Let Derek explain it to them first.”

Jackson allowed Vincent to pull him up the stairs. He could hear the others talking about the state of the house. He had to wonder why it took them three days to show up there, though. Then again, he was curious on why it took three days for the marks to appear on his neck. Being a shifter wasn’t all that great and Jackson found himself wishing that he could become a werewolf again. He got the feeling that he wouldn’t be staring at a bowl of water for five hours, trying to move it.

As he was shoved into his bedroom, Jackson caught a glimpse of one of the werewolves. His face was friendly. A large, dark skinned teen stepped in behind him. He was followed was a scrawny looking teen and finally a girl with crazy hair. Their eyes jerked up to him, but that was when the door was slammed. Jackson pressed his ear to the door, but realized he didn’t need to do that. He could easily hear what was being said.

“We’re here to see them.” From the position of the voice, Jackson guessed it was the first wolf that entered the house. “It’s been three days and no one has seen either of them. This is Jackson’s friend.”

“Hi, I’m Lydia! I hear you’re a dragon shifter. You don’t look like much to me.” Jackson could hear the disappointment and judgment in her voice.

“I would threaten to kidnap you and take you to a mountain, but I need a virgin.” Vincent snarled at the group as they tried to move forward. All of them jumped back. “You can see Derek tomorrow. Jackson still isn’t well enough to deal with this…friendship bullshit. Derek’s pack can remain. Find a room.”

“Yeah, hey!” Jackson frowned at the voice. It was full of energy and belonged to a human “No. What’s it like to be a dragon? I mean, could I see your animal form some time? I’ve always wanted to see a dragon.”

“Out,” Vincent roared. Four sets of feet left the house and the door was slammed and locked. “Find a room and try not to make a mess. Take rooms on the first floor. Second floor is for alphas and shifters.”

Jackson sighed and sat on his bed, listening to the werewolves as they moved around the first floor. They opened and closed doors and Jackson had to wonder how Derek slept through all of it. He stood and went into the connecting bathroom, listening at the door. Derek was asleep in there. Surely, a werewolf’s hearing wasn’t _that_ inferior to a shifter’s. He sniffed at the door and caught the scent of Vincent’s magic. Derek was under a spell. That was interesting.

Going back to his bedroom, Jackson flopped onto the bed and gathered the pillows into his arms. He closed his eyes, wanting to meet Derek’s pack. He didn’t care how strange they were; he still felt the need to be part of Derek and his pack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the kudos, guys! I'm so happy to be getting so many and hope to see more in the future!  
> Thanks to everyone that left a comment. I loved reading and replying to them. I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter as well.  
> Chapter five will be out shortly.
> 
> Until the next one!
> 
> Peace.
> 
> Auska.


	5. Chapter V

**~Dying Angel Style~**

**By:** Aerys Krystie.

oOo 

Derek woke slowly, gazing at the ceiling. Sunrise was an hour away if his internal clock was still working. He stood and stretched, moving into the bathroom. He brushed his teeth and washed his face, trying to feel a little more werewolf. He left his room and sniffed the air. He jumped over the banister and opened the doors to the rooms that his pack were staying in.

Erica and Boyd woke immediately at the door being opened. Isaac was happy to stay where he was, curled up on the floor and hugging a pillow. Derek shook his head as he walked into the room and ripped the blanket from Isaac. His eyes opened groggily, gazing up at Derek blankly for a moment. He jumped to his feet when he realized who was there.

Derek looked at them, trying to understand why they were there. He was sure he would have heard them coming last night. He was sure he would have smelled them when they arrived. It didn’t matter anymore, though. It was good to have the scent of werewolves in the house again. He nodded at them and they grinned

He beckoned them to follow him and they did so without question. He took them to the kitchen, raising an eyebrow when he saw Vincent down there. The dragon sat at the small table with a cup of coffee. He gestured towards the counter and the smell of eggs, bacon, toast, waffles and pancakes filled the room. Isaac was practically drooling as he grabbed a plate and piled it high. Erica and Boyd shrugged and did the same thing.

Derek left the kitchen and stood on the front porch. He inhaled the fresh air deeply, closing his eyes and focusing on the different scents that were in the air. The reptilian smell of the dragon was thick, but it was slowly dying out with more wolves around. Stretching his arms above his head, Derek released his wolf and ran.

The wind felt glorious against his naked torso. The leaves and soil felt wonderful on his bare feet. He jumped over fallen branches. He lost himself in the feelings that took him over as he ran. His legs burned with each movement and his eyes flashed red, forcing them to push him further. He wasn’t going to stop until he forgot everything that was weighing down on him.

He didn’t want to think about what he learned from the stranger’s book on werewolves and wolf-shifters. He didn’t want to think about the fact that he hadn’t seen Jackson in three days. He didn’t want to think about the fact that his pack had stayed away for as long. He had no idea what was happening and he could only guess that his pack were terrified of Vincent. It wasn’t every day that they came along someone like him.

Derek snarled as he was tackled and pinned to the ground. He glared at Jackson as he smirked above him. “You need to be aware of your surroundings at all times,” he said as he stood and offered his hand to Derek. “I could’ve been an Argent.”

Staring, Derek accepted Jackson’s hand and was pulled to his feet effortlessly. “That’s what I tell my pack.”

Jackson lowered his eyes and nodded, stepping back. Derek ran his eyes over his form. His clothing was sticking to him and he had a bottle of water strapped to his leg. Derek tilted his head, trying to understand what was happening. Jackson almost looked guilty about talking to him and that was never a good thing.

Derek crossed his arms, opening his mouth. Jackson’s head snapped up and he looked around. Derek sniffed the air, trying to understand what it was that Jackson was hearing. Turning towards the house, Derek strained his ears. He ran back there, Jackson a step behind him and found Vincent resting against the banister on the front stoop. A cigarette hung from his lips lazily.

Vincent glared at Derek for a moment, before his eyes slid over to Jackson. “Did you find them?”

Jackson removed his water bottle and sucked in a mouthful before he nodded. “They found his loft and painted this on his windows. I found his uncle.” He turned to Derek. “He’s _really_ out of shape, by the way. You would think that as he got older he’d take better care of himself.” He shrugged and pulled out his phone. He opened up a picture he took and showed it to Derek. “Does that mean anything to you?”

Derek stared at the symbol, frowning. He hadn’t been to his loft in days, mostly because he had the house back. He raised his eyes to Jackson’s and shook his head. He had never seen that symbol before, but he got the feeling that it was something bad. Derek turned around and saw Peter running up to them. He rested his hands on his knees as he breathed heavily.

When he caught his breath, he looked up and glared at Derek. “Is there something you forgot to tell me, nephew?” He stared pointedly at Jackson’s swirling eyes.

Jackson snarled at him and Peter held his hands up, stepping back. Derek shook his head and glared at Jackson. The shifter crossed his arms and adjusted the weight on his feet. He had no idea what to expect, but he wasn’t expecting Jackson to back down. Mentally shaking his head, Derek turned back to Peter. He needed answers about what the symbol was and then they could discuss the Jackson situation. He really wasn’t looking forward to Peter gloating.

Before Peter could say anything, Derek looked at Vincent. “What did you send him out for? Are you putting one of my pack into dangerous situations?”

“He isn’t part of your _pack_.” Vincent spat the word out like it was cheap whiskey. He straightened and blew smoke in his direction. Derek wrinkled his nose and stepped back. “I’m training him. Just so you know, he’s learned how to cover his scent and move through these woods with stealth. He learned that in three days. What did you teach him in four months?”

Derek pursed his lips, feeling his fangs coming in. “If you keep this up, I will rip your throat out and crucify you,” he threatened and inhaled deeply, trying to push his wolf back.

Vincent’s eyes swirled between green and red as he stepped forward. Jackson snarled and stood in front of Derek. Vincent blinked and his eyes went to brown. Derek had no idea what was happening. Vincent could easily take out Jackson, but something was stopping him. Derek knew that if Vincent attacked Jackson, he would lose all control.

Isaac came out and froze at the tension that hung in the air. Boyd and Erica weren’t far behind him. They raised an eyebrow and stared at Jackson. It took a few seconds until they realized that they weren’t seeing things and that Jackson’s eyes weren’t what they were meant to be. Their eyes trained on Derek and he nodded. They walked down the stairs cautiously and rallied behind Derek.

Vincent didn’t take his eyes from Jackson. “You really are loyal to him. That’s a little creepy. You don’t even remember him, but you’re willing to die for him.” He smiled kindly, his eyes dancing in the morning sun. “Get inside and have some breakfast. I want you to make it yourself.”

Jackson didn’t move or give any indication that he was going to move. Derek placed a hand on Jackson’s shoulder. “Go.” Jackson went inside and Derek turned back to Peter. “What’s that symbol mean?”

“No, no, no. We can talk about that later. Right now, I want to know what the hell is happening with Jackson. The last time I saw him, he was a werewolf. He was basically normal for a dickwad. Then I find him _hunting_ me. He literally hunted me. I get the feeling that he doesn’t like me.”

Before Peter could go on, Erica spoke up. “And then there’s that thing with his eyes. And then he was a wolf three days ago.” She hopped slightly from foot to foot. “What is he?”

“You said he was a wolf? As in four legs, fluffy tail and all teeth?” Peter asked and Erica nodded slowly. His eyes snapped to Derek. “Now how the hell did he become a wolf-shifter?” he demanded with a spark of rage. “And what the hell is that?” He pointed at Vincent.

“Keep that up and I’ll show you _exactly_ what I am,” Vincent muttered as he crushed out his cigarette in a glass ashtray. “Jackson contracted werewolf pneumonia three months ago. Add that in with his already altered DNA and his blood mixed. It turned him into a wolf-shifter and basically made him alpha of this _pack_.” His eyes honed in on Derek’s. “Of course, you did something to him when you bit him, which is why he has this undying loyalty to you.”

Derek fought back the memories of that night. The scent of Jackson’s fear was intoxicating and it was something that Derek never understood. It was something he didn’t want to understand. It was a scent that he wanted to get drunk on, every night for the rest of his life. Then the kanima bullshit happened, which made getting to Jackson even harder.

The moment Jackson gave Derek the permission to kill him, it was crushing. Taking out his first was one of the hardest things he’d ever had to do. When Jackson came back to life, Derek was elated to see the werewolf he would have been. Then he had seen the blue eyes and knew he was responsible for those them. There wasn’t anything he could do about it, though.

He had lied to Jackson about his eyes, as everyone asked about them. Derek didn’t want Jackson to know that it was the way for others to know he was a murderer. He somehow found out and that was basically when most of the fight left him. Jackson became a shell of who he was, barely able to look at anyone again. Derek had no idea why he didn’t notice the depression earlier.

Isaac scratched the corner of his mouth, gazing at Vincent thoughtfully. “What the hell is werewolf pneumonia? I thought we were impervious to all diseases.”

“Don’t worry, kid. You’re not likely to get it. In fact, I think Jackson was the only one that was going to lead a life of fuck ups. Kinda horrible to treat the orphan like he has the plague, isn’t it?” Vincent sighed and closed his eyes when there was a small explosion inside. He opened his eyes, not bothering to check on the condition of the kitchen. “That symbol means that an alpha pack is in town.”

Derek tensed at the final words. He looked at Vincent and figured that was why the stranger had brought him in. With an alpha pack in town, he didn’t have time to worry about Jackson and would have pushed him to the backburner again. Guilt passed over his being and he pushed it down. Jackson had someone that could teach him a lot better than Derek ever could.

Nodding, Derek turned to Erica. “Call Allison and get her to bring Scott and Stiles here. We need to talk about this.” Erica nodded and pulled out her cell phone. Derek stared at Peter. “Do you know the members of this pack?”

“I might, if I can get their scent.” Peter glared at Vincent when the dragon snorted. “You never did tell me what you are.”

“You don’t recognize me?” Vincent stepped forward, extending his hand. “Vincent Aelioseus,” he said and Peter jumped back. “You should fear me, you miserable excuse of a mutt!”

“What the fuck did you do?” Derek demanded as he pulled his pack back. He couldn’t have any of them getting injured because of a mistake that Peter made. “Vincent, we may need him!”

Vincent glared at Derek. “I can wipe out an alpha pack in my sleep. I’m a fucking _dragon_. That tends to trump wolf. Besides, you won’t miss him.” He held his hands out and Derek saw the scales that were covering them. They shimmered crimson and emerald in the sun. His fingers stretched and talons appeared.

A roar sounded, forcing the werewolves to cover their ears in a vain attempt to block it out. It was cut off abruptly and Derek looked around. Vincent was on a knee, holding his abdomen and coughing up blood. The stranger was standing before Vincent, gazing down at him blankly. Derek could sense a form of disappointment from him, though.

An arrow was fired and stopped before it made contact with the stranger. He didn’t take his eyes off of Vincent and they seemed to be having a silent conversation. Derek looked at Allison. She was notching another arrow, which was fired again. Like the first one, it stopped before it hit the stranger and she frowned. Derek honestly didn’t blame her for being confused. He had no idea what they were dealing with, either.

Scott and Stiles stood on either side of her, staring at the arrows that were suspended. The stranger blinked and turned to them. The arrows fell to the ground. He tilted his head as he gazed at Scott for a moment and then headed into the house. Vincent got to his feet and spat out the blood in his mouth. He snarled at Peter and jumped up. Everyone followed him until he disappeared into the clouds. There was a roar that hung in the air. It was punctuated by Stiles’ groan of disappointment.

Jackson came out and froze as he looked around. “Did I miss something?”

 

oOo

 

Derek stood by the entrance to the living room. Allison, Scott and Stiles were still staring at Jackson’s eyes, trying to understand what was told to them. Allison shook her head. She had never heard of a wolf-shifter before. Derek figured as much. Her father wasn’t very forthcoming with information, but at least now she could get the knowledge they might need in order to help Jackson. No one knew if Vincent was coming back.

As the others tried telling Jackson who he was, Derek left them alone. He found the stranger in his bedroom, standing by a window and gazing out at the woods. Derek wasn’t sure if he wanted the old Jackson back. That Jackson would use his newfound power to make everyone his bitch. On the other hand, this new Jackson had no idea how to control the power that was in him.

Since their only shifter had abandoned them, Derek had to know what the stranger had planned. With an alpha pack hanging around, Derek didn’t know what to do about Jackson. The teen was going to need someone to help him. None of the werewolves could do anything about that. Allison was a hunter of werewolves and likely wolf-shifters, despite the fact that everyone thought they were myth.

“Why did you pick Vincent?” Derek asked as he sat on his bed.

“Vincent is a human born dragon-shifter. He had to learn everything that he was teaching Jackson.”

Derek frowned. A human born shifter? Vincent had said that Jackson was a human turned shifter. He didn’t know what the difference was, but got the feeling that it didn’t really matter. “What can I do to help him?”

The stranger turned from the window. He faced Derek with his eyes lowered and a knot started forming in Derek’s gut. The stranger, despite knowing nearly everything that was happening, clearly didn’t want to tell Derek what his options were. That could mean that Derek wasn’t going to like them or Jackson wasn’t going to like them.

The stranger raised his eyes. “I can instill the knowledge into him, which will be a little difficult.”

Derek glanced at the bestiary that was on his bedside chest. He had read up on the different types of wolf-shifters that were out there. Jackson was a snow wolf, which explained his silver coat and his eyes. There wasn’t much information out on them, but there was more on them than there was on the fire wolves. Derek could be thankful for small miracles.

“I’m guessing that there’s a second option here,” Derek said and raised his eyes to the stranger.

“I can see if a pack will take him in. Many shifters don’t like human born shifters. They feel even worse about human _turned_ shifters. Jackson’s life is going to be more difficult for him. He trusts you and is willing to let you dominate him.”

From outside, Derek heard the others exclaiming in surprise. He had no doubt that Jackson just shifted into his wolf form. That was confirmed when he heard a howl. Derek’s eyes widened and he ran to the window. Jackson was calling the alpha pack to them and Derek was anything but ready for them to randomly show up.

Opening the window, Derek jumped out of it and landed in front of Jackson. He caught the snout and glared at Jackson, his eyes flashing red. Without a doubt, the alpha pack would come to them simply because they would be curious. After all, it isn’t often that a wolf howls for them to find him. He had no idea what Jackson was thinking.

“He is running on instinct,” the stranger said as he petted Jackson and Derek released his snout.

“Okay, what are you and where do you come from?” Stiles asked as he stared at the stranger. “Am I the only one that finds it creepy that he can appear out of nowhere?”

The stranger smiled as Jackson nuzzled his hand. “None of you would believe me if I told you. There is a more pressing issue.” He gave Jackson a quick pat. “There is an alpha pack in town. They are after Derek to join the pack.”

“He would never do that,” Isaac said as he watched Jackson brush against Derek’s legs and then sit beside him. He would nudge Derek’s hand every few seconds. “Why would he call the alpha pack here?”

“It is his instinct to protect Derek and his pack,” the stranger answered. “However, the alpha pack may try to take Jackson. Having a wolf-shifter, despite how useless he is with his magic, is better than having another alpha.”

Scott gazed at Jackson as he continued to nudge Derek’s hand, despite being told to stop it. He watched the eyes swirling from blue to silver. “We won’t let that happen. We’ll help him.”

The stranger stared at Derek. “Jackson is going to need his friends more now, especially since Vincent had taught him very little when it came to his magic.”

Derek glanced up, staring into space as he heard the stranger’s voice in his head and still ignoring Jackson nudging his hand. _Keep him away from Peter._ That was a given. There was no way that Derek would let Peter anywhere near Jackson while he was confused. He didn’t need Jackson swapping sides. He still had to know why Jackson was so trusting of him, especially since they hadn’t spoken in three days. They hadn’t even seen each other. It was almost like Vincent was trying to keep Jackson from him.

He turned his eyes to his pack, wanting their consent before he accepted Jackson as part of his pack. They nodded, knowing that Derek would be spending most of his time with Jackson. It was going to be a rough time. Derek would be learning everything there was about a snow wolf-shifter and Jackson would be learning about himself as well.

_You can handle it. Just let him in._ Derek looked at the stranger. The man nodded and vanished. Derek shook his head and looked at his pack. Isaac was crouched down, elbow on his knee and chin in his hand. He gazed at Jackson with curiosity. He likely wanted to know how something like this could happen. It was the similar to the kanima mess. The pity that Derek felt for Jackson increased as he thought back to the kanima. Jackson rarely got what he wanted, it seemed.

“Seriously, am I the _only_ person that isn’t creeped out by that stranger?” Stiles demanded, flapping his hands in the direction the stranger had been. “He pops in and out like a damn fairy!”

Derek was just as curious, but he also knew that there were some things in life he was never going to get. Not knowing what the stranger was wasn’t an issue, for the moment. He seemed to be helping them as much as he could, without flat out telling them what to do. There was a small problem, now. Jackson had given away their location. The alpha pack would be staking out the house and they knew about his loft.

Jackson shifted back into a human, stretching his arms above his head. “That’s getting a lot easier.”

Derek stared at Jackson, wondering about why there hasn’t been a search party sent out after him. Surely his parents would want to know where their son was. He turned his eyes to Scott. “How have things at school been?”

Scott frowned and shrugged. “They’ve been fine. I was promoted to captain of the team, which was pretty awesome.”

Derek rolled his eyes. “I meant about Jackson being absent,” he clarified.

Everyone glanced at each other for a moment. Scott finally looked back at Derek. “No one knows who he is. It’s like all memory of him has been wiped from everyone. We’re the only ones that remember him.” As he said the words, Derek could see the questions forming in his mind.

“It was either Vincent or that stranger.”

“The stranger has a name, you know,” Jackson said as he headed for the house. “His name is Tsuki.”

Allison frowned. “As in the Japanese word for ‘moon’?” she asked and then giggled. “That’s a little iron…” She trailed off and frowned. “Tsuki? I’ve heard that name before. I think my father or grandfather mentioned him once.”

As she pulled out her cell phone to call her father, Derek followed Jackson into the house. “We can’t stay here, Jackson,” he said as they went into the living room. “You’ve made this unsafe for us.”

Jackson shrugged. “Let them come,” he said nonchalantly.

“I thought you wanted to protect us?”

Jackson glared over his shoulder. “They want _you_. If you leave, then your pack falls apart or they’re killed. By protecting you, I protect _them_. The alpha pack will kill them to get to you or have you kill them.”

Derek frowned, not liking the glare on Jackson’s face, especially when it was directed at him. “Don’t glare at me like that,” he ordered. Jackson picked up the cups he had set out for the others and went through to the kitchen. “You don’t know the first thing about being a wolf-shifter. None of us do. This process is going to…trying on all of us.”

Jackson placed the cups in the sink and hung his head. “I’m going to be ignored again, aren’t I? You don’t have the time to help me.” Derek could hear the sorrow in his voice. “Vincent said that you didn’t care about me, but Tsuki told me otherwise. I’m beginning to think I’m an idiot for believing Tsuki over the shifter that was trying to help me.”

Derek blinked as Jackson walked past him. The alpha pack had to be the first thing on his mind. They were dangerous to him, his pack and the entire town. He had no idea what fighting them was going to be like. He wanted nothing more than to help Jackson, but he had no idea how to do that. The last thing any of them needed was more wolf-shifters in the town. If they decided they liked the town, Derek and his pack had no hope in hell of beating them back.

However, if Tsuki could find a pack to take in Jackson and train him, that couldn’t be bad. He would be around his own kind. He shook his head and pushed those thoughts back. Isaac had spoken for the pack when he said they would help Jackson. Derek didn’t care how it was done, but he had agreed to it and he would figure something out. He hoped that his usual methods worked, though.

Allison and the others ran into the house. Her eyes were alight with excitement. “Remember when I said that I knew his name? He’s been helping the Argents hunt down rogue werewolves for centuries,” she said.

“That’s great.” Derek raised his eyebrows, waiting for the rest of it. “ _What_ is he?”

The excitement faded from her face at that question. She cleared her throat and finally said, “Tsuki Kurenai is a demon – a powerful one.”

 

oOo

 

Jackson sat on his bed in the dark, staring out the window. He sighed and flopped back on his bed, still berating himself for shifting and alerting the alpha pack to where they were. He knew he was stronger than they were and he wanted to take out the threat as quickly as possible. He could worry about learning his magic and controlling his instincts later. Maybe acting before thinking was always a problem for him and it wasn’t something he could work on.

Isaac walked up to his door and Jackson told him to enter before he even raised his hand. Isaac’s head popped in and he grinned sheepishly. Jackson didn’t say anything and he wasn’t really in the mood to eat, despite the growls from his stomach. He didn’t want to deal with Derek’s disapproving glances. He had made a mistake. He knew that and understood it. It wasn’t like Derek ever went through his life without making a mistake.

That was petulant. Jackson groaned and mentally scolded himself. He rolled on his side, curling into a ball. He heard Isaac walk in and sit on the edge of bed. A hesitant hand was placed on his hip and Jackson flinched, jumping to his feet and staring down at Isaac like he was insane.

Jackson frowned. Why he did react that way? What happened between them that made him feel unworthy of Isaac’s kindness? Jackson’s eyes widened and he stepped off the bed, walking around it slowly and not taking his eyes off of Isaac. He had done something terrible to him. He had no idea what, but his body was reacting instinctively, which meant he had done something really bad.

“Are you okay, Jackson?” Isaac asked as he stood. Concern was etched in his young face and Jackson shook his head. “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t… What did I do?”

“Well, you’re freaking me out a little. And I think you’re getting ready to run away.” Isaac tilted his head. “I was told to tell you that dinner was ready. Allison said that she makes a mean mac-and-cheese. It smells really good, too.”

Jackson nodded and left the room. He went down to the kitchen, surprised to see that everyone was still there. They were talking and laughing, except Derek. He was standing by the counter, a steaming bowl in his hands as he ate slowly. Allison saw him and Isaac and finished her mouthful, gesturing to two bowls beside Derek. Isaac grabbed his without a problem, only a flicker of the eyes from Derek.

A growl stopped Jackson from getting his. He looked up at Derek, narrowing his eyes. He reached for his bowl and Derek growled again. “The omega eats after everyone else has,” Derek stated.

Jackson’s eyes widened and he snarled. He never agreed to be treated like the omega in a pack, especially not when he was able to kick Derek’s ass all over the woods. Derek didn’t seem bothered by the power shift between them. He wasn’t going to back down and Jackson wasn’t ready to rip his alpha apart. He reached for the bowl and received a slap across the back of the head.

He glared, stepped back and waited for the others finish. No one seemed bothered by the fact that Jackson wasn’t allowed to eat. He even had to wait until Allison finished her meal and she was a slow eater. By the time she was done, Jackson had gone through to the living room and was flipping through a wildlife magazine.

Jackson looked up when he felt someone’s eyes on him. Derek stood in the entrance and finally said that he could have dinner. Jackson sneered and went back to his magazine. He would eat when he was ready, not when Derek told him he could. He wasn’t the omega in this pack. He didn’t care what Derek thought.

The magazine was ripped from his hands and he was pulled from the sofa. Jackson looked up with wide eyes. Vincent was never this forceful with him. Then again, Vincent usually suggested things and let Jackson finish the idea. Derek was asserting his authority over him and he had to like it or lump it. However, there was a spark of pride that refused to die.

So Jackson pulled free, picked up his magazine and sat on the sofa. Again, the magazine was torn from his hands and he was yanked from the sofa. He was pinned to the floor and Derek gave him a warning growl. Jackson glared back at him, keeping his strength at bay. He would play Derek’s game until it became too much for him to handle.

“I’m not here to humiliate you, Jackson. You’re the omega until you prove yourself to be my beta,” Derek explained, his eyes softening slightly. “I’m helping you the only way I know how, which is by accepting you as a pack member.”

Jackson nodded slowly, swallowing his pride. Derek wouldn’t get his throat ripped just yet, but Jackson got the feeling that he could enjoy this power struggle. Just having Derek on top of him was exhilarating and quite a turn on.

With that thought in his head, Jackson shoved Derek away and scooted backwards. Derek watched him with curious eyes and Jackson stood, rubbing his arms and going into the kitchen. He ignored the digs made at his expense for challenging Derek so soon into his new position. Erica remarked that Jackson had always wanted Derek on top of him.

Deciding that was enough, Jackson ignored his food and went upstairs. He could hear the others saying that the second floor was for alphas only, now that Vincent wasn’t there to enforce the alphas and shifters rule. Jackson ignored them. He had put his scent all over that room and he would be damned if he was going to lose it.

There was a gentle knock at the door and Jackson rolled over, pulling a pillow over his head. The door opened and Jackson inhaled the scent of Isaac. Peeking out from under the pillow, Jackson watched Isaac’s movements. He sat beside the bed and exhaled quietly. Jackson got the feeling that he was about to explain the situation.

“Don’t take too much of what they say to heart. They’ve been betas for a while now. Even though I was changed before them, they still gave me a hard time. They aren’t being mean. They’re trying to accept you as a brother.”

Jackson frowned and sat up. The pillow fell to his lap. “Brother?” he repeated and tilted his head. Somehow, he got the feeling that he’d never had a sibling before, which was probably why he wanted to join Derek’s pack.

Isaac looked up. “Pack is family,” he said with a grin. “I’m glad that you’re the omega now, though. That means that they’ll leave me alone.”

Jackson threw the pillow at Isaac, beaming wide. “Thanks. Glad that I can be of assistance.”

Isaac picked up the pillow and swung it at Jackson’s head. The shifter ducked, rolled back and grabbed another pillow. Isaac grinned wolfishly and jumped onto the bed. Jackson swept his legs out from under him and pinned him to the mattress, pillow at his throat. He inhaled sharply when Isaac flipped him over. Jackson landed on the floor with a loud thud and had the wind knocked from his lungs. He recovered a lot faster than usual and rolled to the side when Isaac jumped down.

Jackson swung his pillow, which Isaac caught. He ducked Isaac’s pillow. Crouched down and vulnerable, Isaac shoved Jackson back with his foot. The pillow ripped and feathers went everywhere. Jackson got to his feet and tackled Isaac through the flurry. Isaac conceded and laughed as Jackson rolled to the side of him. They watched as the feathers continued to rain down slowly.

They found Scott and Allison watching them from the doorway. Scott shook his head. “Derek wants you two out for a run. But I think you might wanna clean this up first.”

Jackson sat up, the feathers falling from his torso. He waved his hand and the door closed. His eyes lit up and he waved his hand again, the door opening. Isaac watched with growing interest. Jackson tilted his head and looked at the feathers. He told Isaac to go for the run, while he stayed behind and cleaned up. Isaac nodded and stood, shaking the feathers from his body.

Once alone, Jackson waved his hand to close the door. He looked at the feathers and the ruined material that was the pillow. He concentrated on making everything whole again. He narrowed his eyes and frowned. The feathers shifted slightly, but didn’t reform into their original shape. He sighed and flopped down. The feathers fluffed up with the movement of the air.

There had to be a way for this to be easier. Vincent had made magic look easy. Jackson knew that he would get to that point, but it would take time. That’s what Vincent always said: everything would take time and practice. He never said that it would be extra difficult for a human turned shifter. Jackson knew he had the magic in him, but had to make sure that he concentrated on it and formed it into something tangible.

The door opened and Jackson’s heart rate increased. He held up a hand, stopping the door and looked frantically at the feathers. They moved, regrouped and gathered into the ruined material, which stitched itself together and fell to the bed. Jackson lowered his hand the door opened. Derek glared at him, telling him to go for the run.

The use of magic had left Jackson exhausted. He needed something to eat before he could go for the run. He said so and Derek shook his head. “You should have thought of that before you decided to ‘stick it to me.’ You were allowed to eat, but you refused. You get to live with the consequences.”

“But I ––”

“This is what you get for defying your alpha. Now join the others!”

Legs like lead, Jackson moved to the door and then down the stairs. Once outside, he stretched and then followed the scents of the werewolves. He could understand why Vincent always referred to them as animals. Their scent was bestial and wasn’t very pleasant to shifters. It was strong and overbearing, as though they were compensating for something.

He passed the others as they were on their way back. Boyd and Erica snickered at him, while Isaac gave him an apologetic look. Jackson was half way around the loop they took when he froze and stared at the red eyes that were gazing at him from the darkness. He knew there were three members of the alpha pack there. What he didn’t know was why they hadn’t gone after the others. It almost seemed like they were waiting for him.

A tall, broad man stepped into the moonlight and grinned at Jackson. “Hi there! I was wondering if ya could help us. We’re looking for a friend of ours,” he said and didn’t bother to hide his fangs. The others stepped into the light and Jackson cocked an eyebrow.

While all three were broader than he was, he knew he could use his agility to his advantage. The unfortunate problem was that he needed energy to do that. Suddenly, it didn’t seem like a good idea to disobey Derek.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo! Thanks so much for all the kudos (always update when I get five (5), just thought you should know!) and thanks so much for the comments. I loved reading them and hope to see more in future - or even just hear from my regulars. Much love to you all.  
> Until the next one!
> 
> Peace.
> 
> Auska.


	6. Chapter VI

**~Dying Angel Style~**

**By:** Aerys Krystie.

oOo 

“Who are you looking for?” Jackson inquired monotonously politely.

The first one to step out chuckled. “The one that gave you the scars on your neck.”

Jackson’s hand flew to the raised scars on his neck. He stroked them softly, tilting his head. “This is from an animal,” he said, keeping his heart steady. He honestly couldn’t remember how he got them. Vincent didn’t seem very forthcoming with the answers. “Do you have a name for the person you’re looking for?”

“Derek Hale,” the first said. “His scent is all over this section. I’m sure he has a house or base around here. It won’t take us long to find it.” He smirked cruelly.

Jackson snarled. The other two alphas growled back at him. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that the first one was their leader. “What’s your business with Derek Hale?” he demanded, his eyes flicking between the two other alphas.

“Well, that’s something that I would really like to discuss with him.” He stepped forward and Jackson retreated two steps. “In the meantime, maybe you can tell me what you are. I’ve never seen eyes like that in a werewolf before.”

Panic set in with Jackson. He really needed to do something about his eyes. Vincent said that it would take magic to keep them a normal color. Jackson looked down, not wanting them to stare at him any more than they already were. It was bad enough that Derek’s pack looked at him like he was a freak.

While he was, Jackson didn’t like being looked at that way. It wasn’t his fault that his body contracted a rare disease that ran through werewolves, which altered his DNA to the point that it completely changed him. He was almost ashamed of the fact that he was no longer a werewolf. He probably felt the same way when he became that kanima thing.

“You don’t smell like any werewolf I’ve ever come across. But you certainly have Hale’s scent all over you.” Another step was taken and Jackson retreated another two. “Are you his mate?”

“Don’t make me laugh.”

Jackson forced back a flinch at the harsh words. Derek moved to stand in front of him, glaring at the alphas. Something told Jackson he was in for an ear lashing when they got back to the house. Jackson wasn’t even sure what he had done wrong, aside from talk to this lot. He didn’t go out looking for them intentionally. They just appeared.

“He’s the omega of my pack. I’ve had to discipline him, which is why he carries my scent so strongly. If your business is with me, let him go.”

“We have only come to extend an offer to you. I’m Mark Doyle. This is Liam,” he said, indicating to the alpha on his right. “This is Liam’s brother.” He tilted his head to the left.

“You have no use for him to be here,” Derek said and pointed to Jackson. “Let him head home and I’ll listen to your offer.”

Mark smiled, his green eyes dancing in the moonlight. “No, I think he can stay. I’m fascinated by all things strange. And he is very strange. When have you seen a werewolf’s eyes swirl like that, Liam?”

“Never, sir,” Liam answered. His brother glanced at him. “My brother agrees.”

“Well, there ya have it! We’re officially intrigued.”

It was the way Mark said it that made Jackson snarl at him. Derek turned to him and growled, eyes flashing red. “Stand down,” he ordered and Jackson fought tooth and claw to relax. “Go home.”

“But I could help you here. They might ––” Jackson broke off as he was slapped across the face. It didn’t hurt, but it was a shock to be slapped like a bitch.

“Go home. I won’t warn you again.”

Glancing at Mark, Liam and Liam’s brother, Jackson nodded and turned away from them. He jogged in the direction of the house. At least, that’s what he wanted them to think. He couldn’t leave Derek alone against three alphas. It didn’t matter how strong Derek was, he couldn’t take on three and expect to live.

Jackson made a wide circle and then crouched behind a shrub. He watched the exchange between Mark and Derek. He found that he didn’t have to strain his ears. He could easily hear what they were saying. Mark was trying to get information about what Jack was, despite Derek trying to change the subject.

Finally, Mark gave up on getting the information he wanted. “I have to say, I was surprised to know that you had become the alpha of the Hale pack. Last I heard, it was meant to be your beautiful sister, Laura. Where is she?”

“Dead.”

Jackson winced at the emotionless word. It wasn’t the fact that it was emotionless; it was the fact that Derek was restraining a lot of emotions. The death of his sister cut him deeper than he was ready to show anyone. However, he didn’t have much more time to dwell on it as he heard someone sneaking up behind him. He spun around and grabbed their throat, pinning them to the floor.

“ _Isaac_?” Jackson hissed in anger. He looked over the shrub, making sure they weren’t heard. “What are you doing here?”

“When you didn’t come back, I wanted to know why.”

Jackson let Isaac up and pressed a finger to his lips. He pointed over the shrub and Isaac looked. His eyes widened when he saw Derek talking to others. He opened his mouth to ask questions, but Jackson shook his head. He didn’t have any answers at the moment. He needed Isaac to stay quiet so they could listen in and see what this offer was.

He glanced at Isaac. “The blond haired, green eyed, mouthy Irish bastard is Mark Doyle,” he explained and Isaac nodded, his eyes going to the one on Mark’s right. “That’s Liam. The other is Liam’s brother.”

“So he’s not liked enough to get a name?” Isaac had a large grin on his face and Jackson got the feeling he was about to laugh.

Jackson clamped a hand over Isaac’s mouth and narrowed his eyes. Isaac nodded and inhaled deeply a few times through his nose, trying to calm down. Jackson shook his head, unable to believe how young Isaac was at time. He lowered his hand and turned back to the gathering.

Straining his eyes, Jackson found that he was hearing words not spoken. He could hear Liam saying that they should check the surrounding area, but no one reacted to it. Mark was talking himself out of ripping open Derek’s throat for not answering his questions. As he listened in, Jackson realized it was their thoughts he was hearing.

He looked at Isaac, who was still giggling mentally to Liam’s brother’s name. Rolling his eyes, Jackson focused on Derek. _Don’t do anything stupid, Jackson. I know you’re there._ Jackson blushed lightly and lowered his head. He was definitely going to receive an ear lashing for disobeying a direct order. He couldn’t help it, though. He didn’t trust the other alphas. There was something extra shady about them.

Biting his lower lip, Jackson slowly raised his eyes and focused in on Mark. He could he hear his thoughts, but was that all? He saw the town from the roof of a warehouse on the outskirts. Liam and Liam’s brother were behind him. He could feel the shock of hearing a wolf howl, daring them to step into his territory. It was a challenge that they weren’t going to back down from.

A tiny gasp left Jackson’s mouth as he snapped back into his own mind. He blinked, feeling tears leaving his eyes. Nothing that happened would cause that kind of reaction. He figured that he was staring off into space and his eyes dried out. Maybe it was the pounding headache that made him want to curl into a ball and cry his eyes out.

Blinded by the pain, Jackson stumbled to his feet and leaned heavily on Isaac, letting him guide the way back to the house. He was taken up to his room. Jackson’s first instinct was to seek out his alpha and be comforted. His second instinct, since Derek wasn’t around, was to shift into his wolf form and fall asleep. He tried to shift, but ended up screaming. He felt poisoned.

Jackson got to his feet and stumbled into the bathroom. He threw up into the toilet and rested his head against the cool porcelain. He slowly opened his eyes and vomited again, crying with the force of the heaves. His head pounded in time with a gentle knock on the door and Jackson figured it was Isaac again. He had no idea how well linked the werewolves were with their alpha. He had no doubt that he was linked to Derek in some way. Hopefully, they wouldn’t feel each other’s pain.

A soothing hand rested on his back. Jackson groaned and pulled away from it. Every little thing was causing pain, again as though he had been poisoned. The hand was removed and Jackson sighed, keeping his eyes closed. He inhaled and got the scent of his vomit. He threw up again and flushed the toilet, standing and stumbling over to the basin without opening his eyes. He rinsed out his mouth and made his way towards his bedroom.

He got the feeling that he had gone the wrong way, especially when all he could smell was Derek. He didn’t care and flopped on the bed. He didn’t care that he was crying. He didn’t care that he was gripping the pillow as if it could save him. He didn’t care about anything, except inhaling as much of Derek as he could. That was all he could smell as he disappeared into a dreamless sleep.

 

oOo

 

When Jackson did wake, he wasn’t sure where he was. He raised his head and looked around with half closed eyes. He knew he wasn’t in his room. Derek’s scent was way too strong. He sat up and fully opened his eyes. He was in Derek’s room. He could see the alpha asleep on the day bed under the window.

Jackson slipped silently from the bed. The slight movement woke Derek and he started, staring at Jackson with wide eyes. He was on his feet in an instant, hand on Jackson’s shoulder and looking his face over, as if there would be some visible problem. Jackson only tilted his head, watching Derek scan his body.

Since Derek was looking him over, Jackson decided that he was allowed the same freedom. Derek was shirtless and Jackson’s eyes quickly snapped back to the handsome face in front of him. His eyes drifted to the full lips that were surrounded by stubble and decided it would be best to just not look at him.

“How are you feeling?”

Jackson blinked at the question. “I’m fine. Why do you ask?”

Derek frowned and placed a hand to Jackson’s forehead. Seemingly pleased with his temperature, he said, “You were out for a day.”

Jackson shrugged. “It doesn’t feel like I was.” He looked around the room. “I’m sorry. I don’t know how I got here, but it won’t happen again.”

Derek stepped back and crossed his arms. “What do you remember?”

“I remember meeting Mark Doyle, Liam and Liam’s brother. I hung around after you sent me back. I didn’t trust them. There was something strange about the way they stood.” Jackson rubbed the nape of his neck, feeling the scars there.

“What else?” Derek demanded.

“I…” Jackson trailed off and lowered his eyes. He wasn’t ready to reveal his mind reading ability. He had no idea how anyone would take that. “I don’t remember. I know Isaac was there. He could probably tell you more than I could.”

Derek nodded slowly and Jackson released the tension that was building between his shoulders. Derek’s slap was hard enough to send him crashing to the floor. “That was for disobeying me. Stand up.” Jackson rubbed his cheek and slowly got to his feet, glaring at Derek. He caught the wrist when Derek went to slap him again. “You need to respect your alpha.”

“Make me,” Jackson challenged as he crushed Derek’s wrist. He continued to do so when it healed, a cruel smirk on his face. “Just remember that I can slaughter every _mutt_ here.” There was a pause and a strain on Jackson’s face. He heard those words and knew they weren’t his. He felt like a visitor in his own head. “Get out!”

Jackson tried to release Derek’s wrist. Whatever was inside of him refused to relinquish its control, though. In the end, Jackson broke his arm and the pain was enough to drive out whatever force was in there. He stared at Derek, broken arm hanging useless at his side. He tried to apologize, but the words were failing him. He had never had that much hatred in him before. He felt like a monster.

“Go to your room, Jackson,” Derek commanded softly. Jackson nodded and did so, unable to stand the confusion and fear in Derek’s eyes.

Jackson sat on his bed, being mindful of his injured arm. He stared at the wall beside his door. He had accepted Derek as his alpha and would respect him, providing he could keep his cockiness down. Yet whatever was in him moments ago, none of that was Jackson. Derek seemed to know more than he let on about what a shifter was capable of, but never mentioned anything like violent mood swings.

Ten minutes later, Derek entered his room, telling him to remove his jacket. Jackson did so without question, gritting his teeth when he kept knocking his broken arm. By the time the jacket was off, Jackson was gray with exhaustion and a cold sweat was prickling his forehead. Derek said nothing as he gently pushed Jackson down, forcing him to lie on the bed.

Jackson watched Derek’s movements. He watched every twitch of the muscles that the exposed torso showed him. He frowned when Derek pushed his legs apart, placing of his own between them. He leaned down and licked the wounded limb. Jackson hissed and tried to pull back. A firm hand on his chest and a low growl from his alpha kept him in place.

It lasted seconds and Derek pulled back. Jackson blinked and flexed his arm. “Thank you,” he whispered as he wriggled his fingers. “How did you know you could do that?”

“Werewolves and wolf-shifters are like cousins, nine times removed. If a wolf-shifter chooses a werewolf alpha as their alpha, my saliva heals your wounds faster than resting. In retrospect, if I’m attacked by an alpha, your saliva will heal my wounds.” Derek stared at Jackson. “You might want to learn to control your hormones, as well.”

Jackson glared. “I don’t even know how old I am or when my birthday is. I mean, it must be easy for you. After all, you’re what, thirty-five or forty years old?”

Derek’s eyes widened at the insult and he stood up. His eyes flashed red and Jackson sat up, challenging him in the only way Jackson actually knows – by running his mouth. “I’ll be twenty-three this year.”

Jackson’s eyebrows went up as he ran his eyes over Derek’s body. “Age was _not_ kind to you.” He placed a cocky smirk on his face, hoping to get some kind of reaction from Derek.

The alpha placed a hand on the back of Jackson’s head and pulled him close. He kissed the top of the boy’s head. “Not all of us can be immortal,” he murmured and left the room.

That remark left a knot in Jackson’s stomach. How could werewolves not be immortal? He could have sworn that the lore said they didn’t age. On the other hand, he had no idea that wolf-shifters were actually a thing. And if truth were told, Jackson honestly thought that werewolves could transform into actual wolves. Actual wolves, not the massive hound that he was when he shifted. He grinned and flopped back, thinking about Derek as a wolf. It would be adorable.

Jackson jumped to his feet and headed downstairs. He joined the others in the kitchen and made a cup of tea. Vincent always started the day with a cup of peppermint tea and Jackson had acquired the taste for it. He raised the mug to his lips and paused, glancing at Derek for permission. Derek nodded and Jackson sipped the tea, slipping onto a stool at the breakfast counter. He swiveled around and looked at Isaac, asking him if anything strange happened last night.

Isaac tilted his head, finishing the last of his breakfast. “Not really. You kinda zoned out for a few minutes and then you looked really, _really_ sick. Are you okay?”

Jackson smiled and nodded. “I’m fine, now.” He turned out, placing his mug on the counter and gazing down at it. He blinked when a plate was put in front of him. He looked over his shoulder and saw that everyone had finished eating. He grabbed the fork and dug into the scrambled eggs.

He’s half way through the eggs when he froze. His head snapped up and he looked towards the front of the house, hearing the beating of large wings. His eyes lit up and he ran from his seat. He knew that Derek had followed him and the alpha paused at the front door. Jackson ran up to Vincent, wrapping his arms around the dragon’s neck. He wasn’t aware of the glare that Derek had fixated on Vincent, until the dragon pushed him away and challenged Derek with his eyes.

“Don’t go there, Vincent. I might be happy to see you, but he’s still my alpha,” Jackson warned, serious for twenty seconds, before he grinned and hugged Vincent again. “Where did you go? I really need to tell you stuff about what happened last night or the night before.”

“I saw my family. They asked a lot of questions about you. You’re the talk of the shifter world,” Vincent said as he removed Jackson’s arms.

“Why me? I’m just a wolf-shifter.”

Vincent ruffled Jackson’s hair. “You’re a human turned shifter, Jackie.” He grinned when Jackson growled at the nickname he _loathed_. “You’re one of five known human turned shifters. That’s over the course of five thousand years, by the way.”

“But aren’t you one as well?” Jackson asked as they walked through the woods. He rubbed his bare arms, wishing he had pulled on his jacket before going down to breakfast.

“I’m a human _born_ shifter. I already told you this,” Vincent replied as he lit a cigarette. He wrapped an arm around Jackson’s shoulders. “What’s it like being the omega in Derek’s pack?”

Jackson sighed and lowered his eyes. “It’s weird. I’m stronger than him and I could _destroy_ him in an instant if I feel like, but I can’t. There’s this strange hold he has over me. I don’t think I’ve ever experienced it before. It isn’t entirely bad. I don’t know.” He shrugged and moved closer to Vincent, enjoying his warmth.

Vincent smirked as he looked down at the teen. “You know what that hold is. You just don’t want to admit it, especially with that alpha pack in town. I hear you met them.”

“There was only three of them, but I know there were six of them. I know their leader is from Ireland, but I have no idea about the rest of them.” Jackson glanced at Vincent from the corner of his eye, slipping into his mind. He cried out when he was forcefully shoved back into his own head. He fell to his knees, hands at his temples and shivering violently.

“You need to protect yourself when you do that, Jackson.” Vincent picked up Jackson and carried him back to the house, up to his bedroom. “Shift,” he commanded.

Jackson groaned and tried to shift. He cried out and rolled onto his side, curling into himself and holding his head tighter. Vincent ordered him to shift again, but Jackson wasn’t ready to go through that pain again. The door to his bedroom burst open and Derek stood beside Vincent, looking down at him. Again, Vincent ordered Jackson to change and Jackson tried, screaming and curling into himself even more.

There was a warm hand on his cold shoulder. Suddenly, the pain slowly disappeared. The hand was pulled back and Jackson could hear Vincent snapping at Derek. Jackson opened his eyes. The pain in his head was a dull throb and he stood up. He was shoved back down by Vincent and ordered to shift again. Jackson rolled his eyes and shifted into his animal form with a slight wince.

Jackson lied on the bed, his back end on his pillows and his head hanging off the foot of the bed. He stayed where he was, listening out to everything that surrounded him for a moment. The two men were talking about pushing him too hard and Jackson rolled onto his stomach and stepped off the bed. He sat beside Derek, nuzzling his hand, hoping for a pat. When nothing happened, he licked Derek’s fingers and the werewolf told him to stop it.

“You should stop babying him. He’s not a werewolf anymore and he needs to work through pain. He can heal faster if he’s in his animal form,” Vincent said as he opened the windows in the room and lit a cigarette. “Don’t tell me to smoke outside. No one here is in danger of getting cancer.”

Derek crossed his arms and Jackson whined softly, reaching up and nudging his elbow. “Jackson, stop it. He hasn’t been a shifter for more than five days and you’re pushing him too hard. He went for a walk with you. Why did you bring him back in pain? Jackson, stop it.”

“There isn’t much information out on human turned shifters,” Vincent admitted as he flicked the ash out the window. “I needed to know what kind of abilities he had outside of his magic. Being that he’s a wolf-shifter, I figured he’d have some kind of telepathy. But you already knew that.”

“More wolf-shifters than not have telepathy. Jackson, stop it.” Derek sighed and finally gave in, resting his hand between Jackson’s ears, which flattened slightly. “I don’t really like _any_ of my pack members being in pain, especially when I’m not responsible for it.”

Jackson shifted back into a human. Derek’s hand slid down his back and settled on his lower back. Jackson stepped forward after a few moments when the hand didn’t move. “I’m heading down to finish breakfast.” He went to the door and paused. “Thank you, alpha.”

Derek said nothing and Jackson shrugged, heading downstairs. He looked at his cold eggs and wrinkled his nose, tilting his head and concentrating. The plate disappeared and a new plate appeared of waffles coated with butter and maple syrup. His eyes lit up and he grinned, sitting down and barely chewing as he ate. He had no idea that using his magic would take up that much energy.

Isaac ran into the kitchen, sweaty from his morning run. He took one of the waffles and tore into it, grinning his thanks when Jackson didn’t rip his hand off. Jackson swallowed what was in his mouth and stared at Isaac, slipping into his head. He realized that Isaac was a person of simple tastes. He wasn’t thinking about the future or the past. He was enjoying the present and apparently the waffle was the best he’d ever had.

Jackson came back to his own head. He placed his fingertips to Isaac’s cheek, just to make sure he was real. He had never met someone that didn’t care what happened to him or what could happen to him, as long as he had a decent waffle. Of course, Jackson couldn’t remember any of the people he knew. He finished his waffles and took his plate to the sink.

He announced he was going for his morning run, mostly for Vincent’s benefit. Vincent believed in routine and he wouldn’t let anyone miss it, even if they were unconscious. He left the house and stretched his muscles, enjoying the fresh air. He ran through the woods, wishing he had the pack with him. He had a feeling that it would be more fun that way.

Birds crowed, hooted and squawked as he ran past them. He could hear rabbits hopping away and the deer that stood still, watching him with wary eyes. He got to the area where he met the alphas the other night and slowed to a walk, sniffing around the trees and freezing when he heard someone walking towards him. He climbed up the tree just as the footfalls fell silent.

Derek stopped under the tree and inhaled deeply. He looked behind and then walked on. Jackson watched him and grinned as he disappeared. He made his way down the tree, feeling pretty damn good about himself for avoiding his alpha. It didn’t last that long. The moment his feet touched the ground, he was tackled and pinned face down. He struggled to get up, but a gentle chuckle stopped him and he looked over his shoulder to see Derek’s green eyes.

“How did you do that?” Jackson asked as he relaxed when he got no indication that Derek was going to move.

“I learned a few things about werewolves, as well. Tsuki has a great book on us and wolf-shifters.” Derek rested his chin on Jackson’s shoulder. “Did you know that you can only sense someone if they’re a threat to you? You don’t see me as a threat, simply because you trust me. The same with Isaac. You can only smell us or hear our thoughts.”

Jackson lowered his eyes. “You used my trust against me?”

“You had to know that you’re vulnerable in that section.” Jackson closed his eyes when Derek nuzzled behind his ear. “With Vincent being back, I want you to work on your magic and learning how to push aside instinct when in your animal form.”

Jackson was ready to fall asleep when Derek dragged his fingers through his hair and down to his neck. He paused and pulled down the back of the jacket. Jackson had forgotten about the marks that appeared two nights ago, before Vincent left and when the pack showed up. He opened his eyes and looked back at Derek. His alpha had a strange look in his eyes.

“Is something wrong?”

“When did these appear?” Derek asked quietly, running his fingers over the marks.

A shudder ran down Jackson’s spine at the touch. It was delicate and almost intimate. “About two nights. It was the night before Vincent left,” he answered and tried to roll over, so he could study Derek’s face better. “What do they mean?”

“Nothing. I was just surprised that they returned.” Derek’s eyes flickered to Jackson’s. Jackson gazed right back for a few moments, until his eyes dropped to Derek’s mouth.

With a blush creeping onto his cheeks, Jackson looked away. “Am I allowed up now?” he asked, though he wasn’t sure if he that’s what he wanted.

“After you tell me why you’re hanging around this section.” Derek shifted his weight and looked around.

Jackson turned his head to the other side. He wriggled uneasily under Derek, not wanting to tell him the truth. He knew that Derek would be angry if he said he was going to hunt down the alpha pack. There was something he had seen in Mark’s mind, though. Something that told him why they were in town, but it was eluding him. He knew he should tell Derek about it. Until he knew what it was, he was going to keep quiet about it.

“I was just here for my morning run,” he said and tried to push up.

Derek pushed a hand between his shoulders, holding him down. “You’re lying, Jackson. Why are you in this section of the woods?”

Jackson sighed and closed his eyes, deciding to get it over with. “I was trying to remember something I saw the other night,” he finally admitted and opened his eyes. “I can’t remember what it was or where I saw it, but it was something here.”

“Let me worry about the alpha pack, Jackson. Learning to control who and what you are is more important than taking them down. If I need you, I’ll let you know.”

The weight disappeared and Jackson jumped to his feet. He brushed off the leaves and other debris from the trees. He started to walk back to the house, but paused and looked at the tree he had climbed up. There was something about the height he was at that recalled something to his mind. He could feel Derek’s eyes on him as he swung up onto a branch gracefully and easily. He stood and walked to the edge of the branch, looking out over the forest.

His eyes widened and he dropped from the branch. He landed running, ignoring Derek calling out his name. He needed to speak with Vincent. Jackson figured that Vincent would know more about the topic of discussion than Derek would. Only when he had all the facts would he bring it up with Derek. There was no point in putting ideas into his alpha’s head without anything to back it up.

Jackson skidded to a stop when he saw two cars parked outside of the Hale house. He tilted his head as unknown scents filled his nose. He cautiously walked into house, hearing an unknown, male voice that was talking about him and his kind. Jackson went to the kitchen and stared at the man. He could smell his relation to Allison, but he was given no reason to trust him. He knew that fathers could be vastly different from their children and he wasn’t going to let this endanger all of them for nothing.

“Hello, Jackson,” the man said with a smile, though his eyes were cautious as he stared at the swirling eyes. “You really are a wolf-shifter. You can’t catch a break, can ya, kid?”

Jackson frowned and moved to stand beside Isaac. “You don’t need to worry, Jackson,” Isaac said with a grin. “Mister Argent is Allison’s dad.”

“I could smell that,” Jackson stated. His eyes flickered over the faces in the room. “Where are Stiles, Scott and Vincent?”

Isaac laughed. “Vincent got tired of Stiles poking him with a stick, trying to anger him into changing into his animal form. Scott went with them to protect Stiles. Vincent didn’t seem happy.”

Jackson nodded slowly, not taking his eyes off of Chris. He slipped into the man’s head, trying to understand how they knew each other. He got as far as Chris offering to help Stiles and Scott steal his body when a slap across the back of the head brought him back. He found Derek glaring at him and he lowered his eyes, apologizing quietly.

“If you want to know something, ask,” Derek ordered and Jackson nodded. “You have no idea what you’re doing in there and I can’t have you rearranging the memories of someone.”

“He has telepathy?” Chris inquired as he sipped his coffee. “That’s quite common for wolf-shifters. What kind are you, Jackson?”

“I don’t know,” he mumbled, keeping his head lowered.

“Snow wolf,” Derek answered and poured himself a cup of coffee.

“That explains the eyes. I’m surprised that an earth dragon is teaching him, though.” Jackson’s head snapped up and he stared at Chris. “He flashed his eyes at me. The green is common in earth shifters,” Chris explained with a small smile. “I always thought that the dragon hunters were insane.”

“Holy hell!” Stiles exclaimed as he walked by the window. “That was even better than seeing a werewolf change for the first time!”

Isaac and Derek huffed, but said nothing when Stiles entered, rambling about Vincent’s animal form. Even Scott looked impressed, though a little shell-shocked. Jackson tilted his head as he stared at the young werewolf. He had no idea what Vincent’s animal form looked like and he had no intention of seeing it. He got the feeling that seeing a dragon would terrify the living hell out of him.

Vincent entered the kitchen. He stared at Chris, cocking an eyebrow. He said nothing about the stranger in his home and focused his eyes on Jackson. “Shift,” he commanded and Jackson glanced at Derek.

When his alpha nodded, Jackson shifted into his animal form. Chris’s eyes widened and his mouth dropped as he stared at the giant wolf. The hunter slowly got to his feet and stepped closer. Jackson snarled and snapped at the man that he didn’t know. At the show of hostility, Scott transformed and stood in front of Chris, growling at Jackson in warning.

“He’s running on instinct,” Vincent explained as he pulled out his cell phone and opened his game. “He doesn’t know Chris and he’s trying to protect his alpha, especially since he knows Chris is a hunter.” He raised his eyes for a moment. “The only one that can call him off is me or Derek. I don’t think you’re strong enough to take him on, Scott. So relax and let him greet Chris the only way he knows how while he’s a wolf.”

Scott changed back, though his eyes remained gold as he watched Jackson. Chris sighed and held his hands up. “I’m going to say it now. If he tries to mount me, I’m shooting him.”

“Dad!” Allison stared at her father. Jackson wasn’t sure if it was shock or anger. “He doesn’t know what he’s doing, for now.” She walked up to Jackson and petted his head.

Jackson wanted to stay on guard, but he gave into the petting and eventually ended up on his side. Allison rubbed his belly and Jackson shamelessly loved it. His mouth was open, tongue hanging out as his right kicked out. Derek groaned and covered his face with a hand, turning away from the wolf-shifter that was meant to a terrifying predator, which was currently acting worse than a dog.

“You’re a good boy, aren’t ya?” Allison asked as she got on her knees, digging her nails into Jackson’s thick fur. “You wouldn’t hurt anyone, would ya? Who’s a good boy? Who’s a good boy?”

Derek hung his head. “Don’t encourage him, Allison,” he begged. “We’re trying to move his instincts aside, not bring them out further.” He stared at the girl with pleading eyes.

“Derek!” Erica screamed from the front hall.

Jackson was on his feet and running towards it. His paws slipped on the polished wood and he crashed into the girl. He picked himself up and nuzzled her face softly as an apology. She pushed him away and opened the door as Boyd entered. Peter was leaning on him heavily, blood seeping from several claw marks on his chest and back.

 

Vincent sighed as he looked at Peter. “Oh, hell! I just had these floors done!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the kudos and the comments. I seriously loved getting both of them and replying to the comments. I'm so happy to know that everyone is enjoying this story and I hope this chapter didn't disappoint.  
> Until the next one, my lovelies!
> 
> Peace.  
> Auska.


	7. Chapter VII

**~Dying Angel Style~**

**By:** Aerys Krystie.

oOo

Derek took Peter from Boyd and moved him into the living room. He narrowed his eyes when Vincent put down plastic sheets, wanting to protect the furniture and the rugs. Shaking his head, Derek growled out for Vincent to move. The dragon ignored him. The moment there was a sheet down on the sofa, Derek placed Peter on it. He removed the shirt his uncle wore, gazing at the angry marks on his chest. He could only guess that the ones on his back looked just as bad.

Vincent ushered everyone, ordering Jackson to shift. Derek stared at his uncle’s glazed eyes, trying to understand why he would go up against the alphas. They needed a plan when it came to them. They couldn’t rush in, half-cocked and hope for the best. He closed his eyes and shook his head. He’d been so busy watching Jackson that he didn’t even notice Peter was missing.

Jackson knelt beside Derek and stared at Peter intensely. Derek frowned as he watched Jackson purse his lips and the crease between his eyes deepened. He turned his eyes to Vincent. The dragon nonchalantly explained that Jackson could heal, which is why his eyes moved between blue and silver. The blue was a sign of healers in shifters. Shaking his head, Derek looked back to Jackson.

The wolf-shifter placed his hand on Peter’s arms and inhaled sharply. Derek raised an eyebrow as the gashes disappeared from Peter and appeared on Jackson. Peter gasped and sat up, eyes darting around. He cleared his throat and placed a hand on Jackson’s head. Derek forced his wolf back and called out for Scott and Isaac. They entered and took Jackson up to his room. He needed to interrogate his uncle about where he was and what he was doing there.

Peter seemed to know what was going to happen and stood, stretching his arms above his head. He said that he needed to clean himself up before anything could happen. Derek stood and glared at him. Peter tilted his head, challenging Derek. The alpha was more than ready to rip his throat out for what he did, but he needed to know exactly what Peter had done.

Vincent locked his phone and gazed at Peter indifferently. “Sit,” he ordered and Peter sat down on the sofa, leaning back and resting his arms along the top.

“Why are you pissed at me?” Peter asked petulantly.

“You caused harm to my ward. You’re also a horrible person and you should be put out of my misery.” Vincent stepped beside Derek and placed his fingertips to Peter’s forehead. “This is going to hurt a lot. Normally, I would be gentle, but you’re an asshole and I don’t like assholes.”

Derek watched as Peter screamed, trying desperately to get away from the fingers. Vincent held him down and narrowed his eyes. A roar sounded in Vincent’s chest and Peter’s screams went up another two octaves. Derek started to get nervous. As he was about to stop Vincent, the dragon pulled back and snarled at Peter. He stormed out of the living room and upstairs.

Unsure of what to do, Derek waited for Peter to stop trembling. His uncle looked as though he was violated and Derek was grateful he had never angered Vincent that badly. He needed to know what Peter did, though. Whatever Vincent saw, it wasn’t something good. Shaking his head, Derek left the living room and went into the kitchen.

He made Peter a cup of tea. He could hear Vincent, Allison, Chris, Isaac and Scott in Jackson’s room. They were firing questions at Vincent about what they could do to help. Stiles, Erica and Boyd were hanging out on the stairs. Erica and Boyd were gazing at nothing, holding hands tightly. Derek wasn’t sure if they were around when the attack happened or if they found Peter. He exhaled quietly when he heard Vincent ordering Jackson to shift and took the tea to Peter.

Derek froze when he saw Tsuki in the room. He was sitting on the coffee table in front of Peter. He was leaning forward, gazing intently at the older werewolf. Neither of them seemed to notice that Derek was anywhere around. He got the feeling that Tsuki was aware of his presence, though he said nothing and continued to stare at Peter.

Staring at the pale man, Derek tilted his head. He was still having a hard believing that demons existed. Werewolves, wolf-shifters and dragon-shifters he could understand. He had at least heard about them, even if it was in stories. Demons were never mentioned to him when he was younger. No one seemed to believe in them. Yet Allison had tried telling him that Tsuki was at least five hundred years old and a powerful demon.

Derek wasn’t insane. He could sense the power that Tsuki had. That could be because he was a dragon-shifter, as well. It would also explain why Vincent referred to him only as ‘Prince.’ Tsuki could be dragon royalty. Until he saw something truly demonic from Tsuki, Derek would continue to think of him as nothing more than a dragon-shifter.

“Are you sure?” Tsuki suddenly asked as he blinked and straightened his back.

Derek knew how Tsuki had conversations with people without opening his mouth. The fact that he said that aloud told him that Tsuki wanted him to know his uncle was up to something. Confirmation could have been done mentally. Peter was up to something even worse than showing up there half dead from an attack.

Peter nodded and Tsuki leaned forward, pressing his lips to Peter’s. Derek blinked. The kiss lasted a few seconds and then Tsuki pulled back and walked out of the room. Derek stared at his uncle, unsure if he should mention the fact he was kissed by a man or that said man was meant to be a demon. Peter didn’t seem to care as he looked at Derek and grinned broadly.

Derek watched as his uncle closed his eyes and settled back on the sofa. He waved a hand towards the table, telling Derek to put the cup on the table and leave him alone. Derek hesitated, but placed the cup down. He heard Peter groan softly and shook his head, figuring it was still the mental invasion from Vincent that had him in pain.

Leaving the living room and closing the doors, Derek went to the stairs. He sat two steps down from Erica and Boyd, gazing at their hands. His eyes flickered up to their faces. He asked them if they knew what happened. Erica shook her head, but Boyd lowered his eyes. Derek waited patiently, closing his eyes when Jackson shouted profanities at Vincent. It wasn’t surprising when Vincent was thrown out of the room and crashed into the wall above the front door.

“Boyd, what happened?” Derek inquired quietly and opened his eyes.

“Erica and I were out for a date. I saw Peter hanging around an alley outside of a bar.” Boyd looked up and squeezed Erica’s hand. “When I spoke to him, he told me that he was waiting for the alpha pack to come out. He wanted to talk to them.”

Derek nodded. Boyd wasn’t telling the entire truth, but he wasn’t lying about what Peter told him. Why would he lie about going on a date with Erica? Derek honestly didn’t care if his pack dated each other, as long as they were happy and didn’t do anything to endanger the pack. However, he got the feeling that they were out searching for the alpha pack, as well. He didn’t know why they would, but it was their business – for now.

“Derek!”

Derek was up the stairs and in Jackson’s room in a shot. He demanded that everyone get out of the room, as they couldn’t help him. Allison took hold of Jackson’s hand and squeezed it gently, telling him that he was still a good boy. She let Scott take her out and the door was closed. Derek looked at Jackson’s swirling eyes, glazed with pain and the sweat that beaded along his face glistened in the morning sun.

He ran his fingers down Jackson’s cheek and across to his shoulder. He gently turned Jackson over and stared at the four cuts that started at the right shoulder and moved down to the left hip. He leaned down and ran his tongue along one of the cuts, Jackson tensing and blinding reaching for something. Derek offered his hand and Jackson took it, squeezing his fingers as the tongue continued to run along the wounds.

Derek was the third cut when the door opened. His head snapped up and he snarled at Vincent for daring to intrude while he took care of his pack member. Vincent ignored him and placed a cup of tea and a glass of orange juice on the bedside chest. He nodded and left the room without a word. Derek returned to his nursing, glaring at the door from the corner of his eye.

He placed a hand on Jackson’s right hip, holing him tightly as he licked the final cut. When the skin on the back was flawless, he turned Jackson over. Jackson sat up and pulled his knees to his chest. He thanked Derek for healing the wounds on his back. Derek really didn’t care that Jackson was turned on by the licking; he just wanted his troubled pup healed and ready to hunt down some alphas that were trying to take over his territory.

“I told you to control your hormones. Now get over it and let me heal those scratches.” Derek didn’t wait for permission. He grabbed Jackson’s ankles and straightened his legs.

Jackson growled and shifted into his wolf form. He jumped off the bed and the door opened. Derek watched him, trying to see his chest. He couldn’t see any marks through the fur. Jackson left the room and padded downstairs. Derek looked at the bloodstained covers and sat on the edge of the bed. The back wounds must have been what were stopping him from shifting.

He looked at the hand that Jackson was holding. There was a slight bruise trying to form from the strength of his grip. His healing was taking care of that, though. From downstairs, he could hear Allison laughing and Jackson letting out a wolf’s version of a bark as he jumped from side to side, likely waiting for Allison to throw a stick.

Derek groaned and flopped backwards. Jackson was acting like a damn puppy around Allison. It might be because he liked her before he was reborn as a wolf-shifter. He sat up suddenly when someone shuffled up the stairs. They went down the hall and slammed the door. Derek went downstairs and looked into the living room. Peter was missing. He still needed to know what Peter and Tsuki had agreed upon.

He found the others outside. Allison was indeed throwing a stick and Jackson was fetching it. Jackson was acting as though he wasn’t bleeding out pints of blood. He dropped the stick at Allison’s feet and shook his coat. Derek stood beside Vincent, upwind as the dragon decided to smoke while watching the show. He was answering questions that Stiles threw at him. The boy was writing them down in a notebook, around a drawing of a dragon.

Tsuki was having a silent conversation with Scott, while Isaac took over for Allison. Vincent created a tennis ball and tossed it to Isaac. With a shrug, Isaac threw the ball as hard as he could. Instead of returning after a few seconds, Jackson came running back a minute later. He dropped the ball and nudged it with his nose.

“How long are you, including your tail?” Stiles asked as he glanced up.

“Sixty feet long, including my tail. I’m forty-five feet long excluding my tail,” Vincent answered as he exhaled smoke.

“Can you breathe fire?”

“Yes.”

“No way! Really? That’s awesome,” Stiles said as he wrote down everything he could.

“How old are you?”

“One thousand, five hundred and twenty-eight years.”

Everyone froze what they were doing and stared at him, except Tsuki and Jackson. “Really?”

Vincent shrugged. “What can I say? I look good for my age. That’s all the questions for now.” He curled his tongue and whistled. Jackson dropped the ball at Isaac’s feet and trotted over to Vincent.

While they walked off, Derek walked along the porch and stood beside Tsuki. He had questions for that man. Tsuki blinked and looked up at him. He tilted his head in question and he heard the voice flitter through his mind. Derek shook his head and demanded to know what his uncle had done. Tsuki shook his head.

_I cannot discuss the terms of a contract._

Derek frowned. That sounded like something a demon might say. Of course, having never met one, Derek had no idea what they were like. He honestly had no idea of knowing if Tsuki really was a demon. Jackson could read minds, though Derek doubted he could speak to someone telepathically. He had only learned that about himself, so it was highly likely that it could develop into what Tsuki was capable of.

_What does the alpha pack want with me?_ He wasn’t sure if he was going to like the answer, but at least he would have one. The answer came through on a cool wind. _They want you to join them. If not, then they want you to stay out of their way._ Derek sighed and looked around at the others. Allison and Scott were standing together, holding hands and gazing into the woods. Isaac had asked to join Vincent and Jackson on their walk and was granted permission. Stiles was drawing a new picture of a dragon and Derek watched him work for a few moments. He was surprisingly good.

Derek’s eyes slid over to Erica and Boyd. Tsuki sat on the railing, gazing at them as well. His eyes returned to Derek and he nodded, confirming the thoughts that were running through Derek’s mind. He was really hoping that he could keep them all there. However, if Erica and Boy wanted to either make their own pack or find another, he wasn’t going to stand in their way. He knew what it was like to be young, in love and full of dreams. They might also want to get out of the town so they weren’t in the way of the alpha pack.

With a soft exhale, Derek leaned beside Tsuki’s legs and crossed his arms. He lowered his eyes, trying to figure out the best way of removing an entire pack made of alphas. He really didn’t want to plunge them into a war, but it seemed to be that it was upon him. He couldn’t lose any of his pack to them, but he couldn’t allow them to take over his town, either.

A white hand landed on his shoulder and Derek looked into Tsuki’s eyes. He shook his head and Derek rubbed his neck, tilting his head back. Before he could say anything, Stiles asked Tsuki if he had a different form, like the shifters did. Tsuki answered that he did, but he said nothing more and refused to show it. That didn’t stop Stiles from asking more questions. What was it like to be a demon? Were there different roles in Hell? What was Tsuki’s role? Was he the prince of hell and is that why Vincent calls him ‘Prince’? Oddly enough, Tsuki was vague about the questions relating to himself, but he was more than helpful about anything else.

Derek watched as Stiles worked. He was writing a bestiary and Derek raised an eyebrow. He relied on his family’s supply of books when it came to different supernatural creatures. That could also be why he needed to rely on a demon to hand over a personal bestiary about werewolves and wolf-shifters before he knew anything about what was happening with Jackson. He frowned when he heard his name whisper through his mind. He glanced at Tsuki. The demon was focused on Stiles, but Derek had no doubt he could do more than one thing at a time.

His name sounded again and he straightened, looking around. It almost sounded like Jackson was whispering in his head. He waited for it to call again, but nothing happened after five minutes, so Derek assumed he was going insane. He rested against the railing again, listening in to Tsuki as he answered the questions that were fired at him.

Allison cried out and Derek looked at her. He followed her eyes and saw Vincent carrying Jackson back. The dragon didn’t stop to answer any questions. He pushed past all of them and into the house, taking Jackson to his bedroom. He returned a few minutes later, a cigarette hanging from his mouth lazily as his eyes connected with Tsuki and he nodded. Derek looked between the two, wondering if they were going to tell him what happened to a member of _his_ pack. When neither of them spoke, he rolled his eyes.

“What did you do to Jackson?” he demanded and stared at Vincent indifferently.

“I tried to better his telepathy. He doesn’t know how to stop himself from being poisoned.” Vincent rested against the pillar at the top of the stairs. “It’s going to take some time for him to learn that. I did poison him, but Isaac is up there to take care of him.”

Derek narrowed his eyes. “You intentionally poisoned him?” He shook his head and closed his eyes. The training was sounding worse and worse every time he heard about it. “Look, you know how to handle him, so I’ll leave him with you. I have something that I need to check on.” He really just wanted to be away from Vincent before he ended up a dead werewolf for attacking a dragon.

 

oOo

 

Finding the alphas was a lot easier than Derek thought it would be. Their stench was all over the town, but it was clear they had a favorite drinking hole. He entered the pub and found Mark at the bar, Liam and Liam’s brother on either side of him. He was talking around Liam to the man beside him. He stopped mid-sentence when his eyes connected with Derek.

Mark grinned and stood, moving over to a booth. Derek followed him, glancing at Liam and his brother. He sat opposite Mark and the other slid over a pint, grinning. Derek ignored it. He was there on business and that didn’t include drinking something that was already ordered for him. His eyes flickered down to it and then back to Mark.

“Fair enough,” Mark said with a shrug. He grabbed the pint and half-drained it. “Have you given any thought to my offer?”

“I’m here to make an offer of my own,” Derek stated and sat back. “If you attack anyone of my pack again, I will rip your throat out.”

Mark grinned and leaned forward. “I’ll leave your pack alone, if you let me have twenty minutes alone with that little omega of yours. You know exactly what I’m talking about. And I’m not going to do anything too bad to him. I only want to know what makes him tick.”

Derek set his jaw and shook his head. “If you expect me to hand him over after saying something like that, you’re stupider than you look. You only get one warning. If you attack any member of my pack again, I won’t be so nice.”

He stood and glared at Liam’s brother. The alpha refused to move out of his way and Derek wasn’t looking forward to being kicked out of the pub for starting a fight. A white hand landed on Liam’s brother’s shoulder and there was the sound of bones breaking. He fell to the ground, clutching at his shoulder and glaring at the man behind him.

Liam moved behind Tsuki, picking up a chair along the way. For some reason, Mark stood in front of Tsuki, just as the demon ducked. The chair swung and smacked Mark across the head. The alpha leader snarled and jumped on Liam. Derek raised an eyebrow as he watched Mark dominate Liam in a matter of seconds. He had no idea how Tsuki managed it, but he was grateful for the demon.

Mark stood and flicked his fringe out of his eyes. They flashed red at Tsuki. The demon tilted his head and flashed his own crimson eyes. Mark’s eyes widened, returned to green and he stepped back. He stared at Tsuki as though he’d seen a ghost. Derek had to wonder how much Tsuki got around for an Irish pack to know about him. The demon said nothing, but squared his shoulders and stared down Mark.

Derek lowered his eyes when he felt the aura that Tsuki released. It was pure, brutal power that made Derek want to cower in a corner. The humans in the pub shifted uneasily, glancing between them. It lasted moments and then everything went back to normal. The aura was gone and Derek released a breath he held. A tremor ran through his body and he made a mental note never to piss off Tsuki, lest he wished to be crucified.

Mark pursed his lips and set his jaw. “I thought you were on our side, you demonic bitch. Now I find you in bed with _him_.” He gesture emphatically at Derek. “You demons really don’t know how to stay loyal, do you?”

“I believe you are referring to my brother. I am unsure what name he is going by these day. It is Damien, Derek or Taiyou. It does not matter.” Tsuki looked at his shoulder and brushed off a piece of Mark’s fur. “I will have his head on a silver platter before the contract is over.”

Mark lifted his lip in a sneer. “What would you know about our contract?”

“I have dealt with you before, Mister Doyle. I am the one you summoned to remove the dullahan that was…annoying you.”

Derek’s frown had been getting deeper the longer the conversation went on. The moment the ‘dullahan’ was mentioned, he realized he had absolutely no idea what the hell was going on. He offered to buy a drink for Liam and his brother, while Mark and Tsuki discussed past business. It wasn’t his place to question the contract that Mark had in play, as Tsuki wouldn’t tell him. Hell, Tsuki wouldn’t tell him what his uncle had done.

Sitting at the bar, Derek ordered a beer and what Liam and his brother wanted. They spoke quietly about their packs, which actually shocked Derek. He wasn’t expecting them to be so chatty, but he knew what it was like to have some issues with how an alpha ran things. For example, when Peter was the alpha, Derek had a lot of issues with how he conducted business. Mark was very similar to Peter, it would seem.

The few minutes he thought they would be chatting, turned into two hours. By the time Mark clapped Liam and his brother on the shoulder, Derek was out a few hundred bucks and didn’t even have a decent buzz happening. He paid the tab and walked out without a problem, ignoring the curious eyes of the bartender.

Derek placed a hand on Tsuki’s shoulder. “How do you know Mark Doyle?” he asked as they slowed their pace.

“I took care of a dullahan problem he and his father were having. I had never killed one of them before. I quite liked the challenge.” Tsuki glanced at Derek’s hand for a moment.

A strange sensation filled Derek. It was like motion sickness, but he was standing completely still. When the feeling passed, he was in his bedroom and the urge to vomit took over him. He went to the bathroom and threw up into the toilet, ignoring the fact that the shower was going. The alcohol from the last two hours came up. He groaned and rested his head against the cool porcelain.

The shower was turned off and Derek flushed the toilet. He stood and rinsed out his mouth. He spat out the mouth wash and watched Jackson via the mirror. He turned to Jackson and looked him over. The shifter gazed back, tilting his head in confusion for a moment and then he went into his bedroom. Derek wanted to follow him, but stopped when he remembered that Jackson was still dripping from the shower.

The way the water droplets traveled down his chiseled chest and abs was mesmerizing. He sighed and shook his head. Jackson was seventeen. He couldn’t do anything to boy, despite how insane his hormones were going just at the sight of him. He went back into his room and saw that Tsuki was standing by the window, gazing at the trees.

“So what the hell is a dullahan?” Derek asked as he sat on his bed and kicked off his shoes.

“A death fairy of sorts,” Tsuki answered as Derek removed his jacket and shirt. “Killing something that brings death is not easy.”

“Is it even _possible_?” Derek inquired as he went over to his dresser and pulled out a clean shirt.

“It is possible. I had to use up a lot of favors in order to get what I needed to make it happen. The dullahan had wiped out nearly a quarter of the Doyle pack before I put an end to it.”

Derek raised an eyebrow. He was sure that something like that would have been news in the werewolf world. He had no idea how he didn’t know about it, but figured it likely happened around the time that his family was killed. Somehow, everyone seemed to know about that, though. He went back to his bed, not bothering to put on the shirt.

Now that he was an alpha, he needed to tell the other packs that the Hale pack was back. It wasn’t anything like they were used to, but it was still better than nothing. He was proud of his pack, since they seemed to be gelling together rather nicely. It mattered not that Erica and Boyd wanted to leave and likely would very soon. When it happened, Derek would simply wish them well and ask that they keep in contact with him. They would always be part of his pack.

Derek exhaled sharply and ran a hand through his hair. “Why are you here?”

Tsuki turned from the window and looked at Derek. The werewolf noticed that the sad edge to the eyes seemed sadder. “I came here because Jackson was screaming for me. When you would not question him, he was begging for someone to listen.”

Derek lowered his eyes. He honestly didn’t know that Jackson was withdrawing. He tried to ignore Jackson as much as possible, because he didn’t want to show favoritism. He knew he would; he knew exactly what he was like. He was surprised that he didn’t notice the werewolf pneumonia before, though. He thought that Jackson had caught Isaac’s cold four months ago. The pneumonia was like shifters: a legend.

He pushed Jackson to the side for now. He had more pressing matters. “Why is the Doyle pack here?” he asked as he massaged his neck. “Last I heard, they were sticking mostly to Boston and possibly Portland. That last one was only a rumor, though.”

“You know exactly why they are here, Derek.” Tsuki moved to stand in front of Derek. “You know what kind of pack the Doyles are.” He placed a hand on Derek’s head. “They are here to wipe out you and your pack, Derek.”

Derek frowned as Tsuki pushed him back and turned him over. Despite how thin he was, Tsuki was surprisingly strong. He didn’t bother to fight and allowed the demon to massage his back. While the nimble hands worked their magic, Derek thought about what Tsuki said. He figured that the Doyle pack would be branching out. He couldn’t understand why they would choose a place like Beacon Hills.

A scream of agony echoed through the house and Derek tried to sit up. He was held down, the heel of a palm digging into his spine and cracking it into place. A gentle growl left his mouth and the scream was forgotten for the moment. It sounded again and Derek ignored the wonderful feeling of his muscles relaxing under the strong grip of Tsuki. He sat up and the demon allowed him to do so.

The sound was coming from the room that Peter took. Derek left his room and stared down the hall, trying to decide what the best way to approach it would be. Isaac stood beside him and winced as another scream rang through the house. He rubbed his ears and walked up to the door. He knocked on it softly. There was a growl and Isaac jumped, taking several steps backwards quickly.

Derek placed his hands on Isaac’s shoulders to stop him. He could smell the fear pouring off the boy in waves. The growl hadn’t sounded that different from his usual one. Derek called out for Jackson and the shifter was by his side in a second. He handed Isaac over to him and watched for a moment how Jackson wrapped his arms around Isaac protectively, softly speaking to him about how they should head outside for a little fresh air.

Jackson glanced at him and Derek nodded, heading to the door. He could hear Peter sucking in pained breaths, which usually ended with a groan. Soft coughs sounded and Derek tried the handle, not surprised to find that it was locked. He found out what scared the hell out of Isaac. The stench of blood was heavy around the door. He called out to Tsuki via his mind. He heard the door unlock and he walked into the room. His eyes widened as he stared at his uncle.

Peter was on the bed, surrounded by bloody tissues and covered in blood. His blue eyes were glazed over with pain and he coughed softly, spitting blood into a tissue and throwing it to the floor. He let out a raspy breath and tilted his head back, blood dripping from his nose, which he dabbed at with another tissue. Derek could only shake his head. He closed the door.

“What the hell have you done to yourself?” Derek demanded as he crossed his arms.

 

oOo

 

The moment he and Isaac were outside, Jackson shifted into his animal form. Isaac sat down on the front lawn for a moment and then lied down. Jackson lied beside him, nuzzling his cheek gently and receiving a smile. Isaac rolled over and hugged Jackson tightly, burying his face into the fur of the wolf and sighing softly.

Jackson listened to Isaac’s heartbeat. It was still a little fast and Jackson worked on keeping his calm and steady, wanting Isaac to calm down. He had smelled the blood and had to wonder if Peter was still alive. He wasn’t sure if anyone could survive that kind of blood loss. The problem was that the scent reminded Isaac of something; something painful and joyous.

Knowing he really shouldn’t, Jackson slipped into Isaac’s mind to see what the memory was. It was so much easier when he was in his animal form. He was listening to Isaac repeating a lullaby in his mind when he realized that he had consciously slipped into the werewolf’s mind. Jackson raised a paw and dropped it over Isaac’s waist. He felt a smile and the lullaby slowly stopped.

Pushing further into Isaac’s mind, Jackson found the memory that the scent of blood pulled forward. He saw a man slaughtered in his car. The door had been ripped off and blood coated the inside, falling out of the hole in the side like a waterfall. With that memory came the connection that Jackson was responsible for the death and the shifter pulled back.

“Jackson!”

Jackson turned his head to look at Vincent. The dragon was standing on the stairs, glaring at him. Isaac stared at him, confused and hurt at the sudden distance between them. Jackson felt his instincts kick in. They were telling him to run and not stop until he dropped from exhaustion. He wanted nothing more than to give in, but he knew that someone would need to explain to his alpha why he was gone. He couldn’t leave his alpha alone.

Shifting back into a human, Jackson stared at Isaac with wide eyes. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean – I didn’t want – I don’t know when.” He wasn’t making any sense, but he figured that Isaac could put the two together.

“You’re sorry for what?” Isaac asked softly, moving closer slowly.

Jackson retreated another foot, pressing his back to a tree. He got to his feet, refusing to take his eyes off Isaac. How could he be so nice, after everything Jackson had taken from him? He had _murdered_ his father and he was trying to help him? That didn’t make sense to Jackson, but nothing much that was happening recently did.

The burning desire to run overtook him. Before he could take three steps, he was pinned down and he could smell Vincent above him. He wasn’t aware of how fast Vincent was, but he expected to be further along before he was caught by anyone. He swallowed and allowed Vincent to turn his head, so he could gaze at Isaac.

“Do you feel that pain?” Vincent demanded, despite knowing the answer. “The pain of knowing you took this boy’s father from him?”

Jackson fought back tears when he saw realization flash through Isaac’s eyes. “I feel the pain,” he said with a broken voice. Isaac’s eyes softened and Jackson flinched, wanting to look away from him.

“Use it to fuel your magic. Pain is far more effective than happiness and anger. We always have more pain than happiness and anger in our lives. It doesn’t matter what you do now, Jackson. You’ll always be a murderer. His father was the first life you took.”

After those words were spoken, Jackson couldn’t hear anything. All he could do was stare at Isaac. He wanted desperately to apologize to him and find a way of making it better. He never wanted to take anyone’s life, even if it was before he became a wolf-shifter. He bit his lower lip. He wasn’t going to cry in front of Vincent. The dragon would never allow such weakness.

Vincent let up slightly, moving to his knees and pulling Jackson up with him. He felt the dragon’s arms wrap around his shoulders, holding him securely and warmly. Jackson couldn’t stop it. He broke down completely as more memories broke through the wall he had put up. He saw the faces of every victim he had murdered. It didn’t matter that he was being controlled by someone else; he should have done something about it. He should have gotten help from someone.

Isaac knelt in front of Jackson and hugged him tightly. Vincent nodded and released Jackson, knowing he wouldn’t run. Jackson buried his face into Isaac’s throat; not bothering to hold back the sobs or the fact that he was clawing at Isaac’s shirt, wanting to get closer. He repeated that he was sorry and Isaac shushed him. He was told that everything would be okay in the end.

Something short of a scream left his lips as more memories trickled out. He saw what he did to Stiles and Derek. He saw what he did to Scott’s mother. How could _any_ of them look at him after what he did to them? How could they could be around him? He was a monster. He had caused so much pain and humiliation to all of them. He was a monster before the bite.

Isaac rubbed his back and Jackson could feel how unsure he was. “Jackson, you’ll be all right. You always are.”

Jackson tried to calm his breathing. “I’m sorry.” With those two words came a fresh bout of tears. He pulled back and tried wiping them away. He winced slightly when he was slapped across the back of the head.

“Don’t hold any of it back, Jackson,” Vincent ordered. “It’s been years since you let it all out and you may as well do it now, so you don’t fuck up.”

Jackson shook his head, still trying to force the tears back. He got the feeling that he wasn’t allowed to break in front of himself, let alone anyone else. He would be damned if he was going to cry every time something bad happened. He needed to know how to push his emotions aside, especially if the pack needed him to be a killer. _Any why should they look any further?_ Jackson gritted his teeth as more tears fell from his eyes.

He hung his head, watching as the tears fell freely. Something else was hurting him badly, as well. He had no idea what it was, but it was enough to have him hyperventilating as wept. He dug his fingers into the soil and screamed his frustration. Not knowing who he had been was proving to be more painful than he ever thought possible. What could possibly be worse than knowing he had murdered innocent people that made a stupid mistake?

A heavy hand was placed between his shoulders. He slowly raised his head and fought every instinct that told him to wrap his arms around Derek. He wanted to cry into his chest, inhale his strong scent and never be apart from it. He hung his head, turning away from the green eyes were soft with compassion and a touch of pity.

“I’m sorry,” he gasped and fisted more of the dirt. “I’ll be fine in a moment.”

“No, you won’t be,” Derek said as picked up Jackson. “If you’re going to break down, you can do it in private.”

Jackson nothing, as he closed his eyes and allowed Derek to take him up to his room. He slipped out of his arms and collapsed on the bed, cuddling a pillow and muffling his sobs into it. “I’m sorry, Derek,” he muttered and opened his eyes, glancing at Derek. “It won’t happen again.”

The bed dipped to accustom Derek’s weight. “Pack is family, Jackson,” he said softly as he pulled Jackson against him. “If you ever need to break down, we’ll be here for you.”

Jackson’s entire body shook as he cried into the pillow. He wasn’t sure what it was, but he had never felt so loved before. He wanted nothing more than to be part of a family. He _needed_ Derek by his side to give his chaotic life order. He felt Derek’s arm tighten its hold on him and tried to calm down. He could feel Derek’s stubble through the thin material of his shirt. He could feel the steady heartbeat through his back.

“I’m sorry,” Jackson told his pillow.

“I know, Jackson,” Derek murmured against his ear. “Let it all out.”

Jackson pressed back to Derek, told hold of his hand. “Please, don’t leave me,” he begged through his sobs and squeezing the hand.

“I will never leave you again,” Derek promised and pressed his lips to Jackson’s ear. “You are part of my pack.” He kissed the scars from his claws along Jackson’s neck. “I will never let you go.”

Jackson closed his eyes and focused on Derek’s heart. Never once did it skip a beat and Jackson just knew he was telling the truth. That was good enough for him to cry for another few hours until he finally passed out, utterly exhausted emotionally, physically and psychologically. He had no idea how he would be when he woke.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hidey-ho! I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. The next one will be out soon. Thanks for the kudos and the comments. I hope to hear from everyone again soon.  
> Until the next one!  
> Peace.
> 
> Auska.


	8. Chapter VIII

**~Dying Angel Style~**

**By:** Aerys Krystie.

oOo 

Derek sat with his back to the bed head, watching Jackson sleep fitfully. He placed a hand to his forehead, feeling that his temperature was up. He was sweating and gritting his teeth, gripping the covers and rolling from side to side. Derek had no idea why it was happening and Vincent just shook his head when questioned about it.

Tsuki wasn’t anywhere to be found for the past three hours. When he did return, he was covered in blood and Derek wasn’t sure he was in the mood to answer questions. The shower had been going for the last two hours. It shut off and a door slammed. Derek frowned and got to his feet. He peered over the banister and saw Tsuki’s ghostly body walk to the front door, in a pair of black leather pants.

Curious, Derek jumped over the banister and followed the so-called demon into the woods. They walked for about thirty minutes until Tsuki stopped. Derek leaned on a tree, watching him closely. He had no idea why Tsuki would spend two hours in a shower, just to remove a little blood. The demon turned to him and Derek raised an eyebrow.

Tsuki had always looked underweight and it was clear now that he was. The pants rode low on his hips, moving into a v. There were thirteen buckles on the outside of the calves. Derek had no idea why Tsuki was there or why he was underdressed. The demon told him to head back to the house, but Derek shook his head. He wanted to know exactly why Tsuki was out.

“Twelve children between the ages of ten and twelve were murdered tonight,” Tsuki said as a ruby red tear slipped from his left eye. Derek’s eyes widened and his mouth fell open. “Do you know what death feels like through the eyes of a child?”

Derek didn’t want to know how Tsuki knew that, but something told him that Tsuki wasn’t going to reveal that information. The demon seemed to take a lot onto his shoulders. He shook his head and Tsuki sighed, tilting his head back and holding his arms out. A shiver ran down Derek’s spine as a cold breeze swept through the trees.

The moon was hidden by storm clouds and Derek looked up. They had come out of nowhere and his eyes returned to Tsuki. The demon let out an almighty roar that was filled with rage and sorrow. Derek had to take several steps back, hands over his ears and trying to ignore it. He fell to his knees, tears in his eyes as the emotions sliced through him. Some kind of shockwave was released as the trees around him in a three hundred yard radius were uprooted.

Derek raised his head, watching as Tsuki continued to scream. He was levitating off the ground by five feet, his short black hair was now ass length white. His eyes were glowing crimson and his incisors were four inches long as he roared his frustration at what happened that night. No more tears were shed, though.

It seemed like an eternity, but five minutes later Tsuki was calm. He walked up to Derek, slamming a hand on his chest and the feeling of his ribs being crushed stopped. Tsuki lifted Derek to his feet and walked past him, muttering something about a coven being in town, along with the alpha pack that were trying to establish their mob roots there.

Derek thought back to when Mark extended his offer. He was also letting him know that they were there on business, which could last a few weeks. He shook his head and ran up to Tsuki, placing a hand on his shoulder and stopping him. Derek found himself pinned to a tree, arm twisted up behind his back to the point that a twitch would break the bone. He had a serious flashback to when he did this to Jackson and wondered if Jackson felt just as helpless and weak.

“I do not have time for your antics. Jackson is fine. He is simply having an internal battle over whom and what he is. If you ever cared about him, I suggest you be there when he wakes or you will lose him for good. Am I clear?”

Derek pursed his lips and nodded. He was released and he rotated his shoulder, flexing his fingers. He made his way back home and into Jackson’s room. He wasn’t surprised to see that the bed was empty and the shower was going. Without thinking, he went into the shared bathroom and pulled back the curtain on the shower.

Blue eyes glared at him and he was shoved back. The curtain was closed and Derek lowered his eyes. It seemed that Jackson had enough control over his magic to keep his eyes one color. He was upset that they were no longer swirling. He really liked seeing Jackson’s eyes like that. Maybe because it was representative of his innocence.

The shower was turned off and Jackson slid back the curtain, fastening the towel around his hips. He narrowed his eyes. “If the shower’s going, it usually means someone’s in there, ass clown,” he stated and walked out.

Derek blinked and turned towards the door that was slammed in his face. He narrowed his eyes and walked in. It shouldn’t have surprised him that Jackson was waiting for him, but it somehow did. Jackson was standing in the center of his room, arms crossed and still in the towel. Derek lost his train of thought for a moment, running his eyes over Jackson’s abdomen.

Jackson raised an eyebrow, a cocky smirk on his face. “See something you like?” he inquired as he stepped forward, closing the distance between in seconds. He raised a hand to the scars on his neck. “I was told that you marked me.”

Derek stared at Jackson’s eyes. They started swirling and Derek knew he was loosing control on his magic as something more primal took over. He gripped the back of Jackson’s neck and pressed his forehead to the shifter’s. He never wanted to have this discussion with him, but it seemed that someone thought it was time he knew. He had to wonder which of Vincent or Tsuki he was to blame.

Jackson lowered his eyes to Derek’s lips for a moment. “Derek…” he whispered and raised his eyes, searching.

“Bare your throat to me, Jackson,” Derek ordered. He felt the connection snap as Jackson snarled and shoved him away. Derek’s head connected with the wall with a loud crack. “You accepted me as your alpha.”

“That didn’t mean that I would roll over for you! It only meant that I would help protect you and your pack. I submit to no one.” Jackson lowered those amazing eyes for a moment. When he raised them, there was no doubt and Derek could see that Jackson was unfortunately confident in himself. That meant he would be harder to control. “I am loyal to you, Derek. I am not subservient.”

Derek raised an eyebrow and nodded. It seemed that there was a little bit of Tsuki inside of Jackson at the moment. He rubbed the back of his head, grateful that the pain was subsiding already. Jackson gazed at him calmly, patiently waiting for his rebuttal. He stepped towards the shifter, watching as the blue bled into silver only to bleed back into blue.

“What did you find out about the alpha pack that’s in town?” Derek asked as he sat on the bed, keeping his eyes on the wall as the towel fell from Jackson’s hips.

“They’re here on family business. Vincent originally thought they were here to recruit alphas or take out the alpha and claim the betas. Turns out, they wanted the alpha Hale to join them, but they aren’t that interested in you,” Jackson explained as he pulled on a pair of black boxer briefs. He paused and turned to Derek. “You never mentioned the dullahan.”

Derek blinked and tentatively looked over at Jackson. “I only found out about it today. I didn’t think that it was important to what was happening.” He shrugged, forcing his eyes to stay on Jackson’s.

“You need them out of your town, Derek. They plan to take over and if they do, it won’t be very pleasant for the people that live here. You don’t want them in debt to the Doyles, do you?” Jackson smiled as he crouched down and opened the bottom draw.

Derek ran his eyes along Jackson’s sinuous back, curious on how it would look arching beneath him as he teased him into oblivion. Jackson’s head snapped up and he turned to Derek again, staring at him with wide eyes. There was a faint blush on his cheeks and Derek smirked, holding his hands up. It wasn’t his fault that Jackson could read minds. It wasn’t his fault that Jackson was beautiful beyond reason and had the kind of body that everyone would like to see beneath them.

Jackson shook his head, a playful smile dancing through his swirling eyes. Derek wouldn’t mind seeing those beneath him, either. Jackson shook his head again and stood in front of him. He allowed Jackson to push him back on the bed and watched his movements. Jackson glanced up as he ripped off Derek’s shirt, standing back to enjoy the view before him. He nudged Derek’s legs apart and moved between them, running his hands along his torso.

Derek shuddered from the cold touch, wondering when that was going to happen. Jackson was surprisingly warm for a snow wolf. It seemed that his internal battle finally allowed the snow wolf to fully take over. His hair had a silver and blue sheen to it as the light bounced from the strands. His skin was paler than usual, but not sickly.

Jackson leaned down, kissing beside Derek’s naval. Derek remained still. He wasn’t going to be the one writhing. Jackson moved to his hip, his lips brushing over the warm skin of the werewolf. He looked up and nipped the hipbone. Derek tensed slightly, trying to keep his body under control. Seeing Jackson move over him was a turn on and a half, but he had noticed the distinct lack of arousal from the shifter.

Not breaking eye contact, Jackson slid his tongue up Derek’s torso. Derek tried not to, but he arched up slightly into the touch. At his throat, Jackson stopped and inhaled deeply, closing his eyes and letting a small moan slip. He opened his eyes and Derek smirked when he saw the pupils start to dilate. He pressed his lips to Derek’s cheek, breathing his name. Derek forced down a growl and the ideas of making Jackson submit to him.

Derek turned his head slightly, putting their lips so close Derek could feel the coolness from Jackson’s mouth against his. A simple twitch would have their lips locking, but suddenly Jackson snarled and pulled back. He stormed out of the room, clothing forming on his body and Derek frowned. He never thought for a moment that Jackson could resist sex. He sighed and sat up, looking at the open door. Jackson was staring down the hallway, towards Peter’s door.

Eyes widening slightly, Derek left the room just as Jackson walked up to the door and kicked it in. Derek stood just inside, staring at Peter’s body on the bed. The man was barely breathing as blood trickled from his nose, ears and eyes. Jackson stood by the bed and gazed down at him, cocking his head to the side.

Nothing was said, but Peter attempted to chuckle, which ended with blood trailing from the corner of his mouth. “I…wouldn’t…”

“I heard your thoughts!” Jackson snapped, curling his fingers around Peter’s throat.

Derek wrapped an arm around Jackson’s waist and pulled him back. “I doubt he’ll survive, Jackson. Let him have some peace.” He held back a flinch at the look in Jackson’s eyes. He appeared hurt that Derek wouldn’t believe him.

“He _will_ survive! He made sure of it.”

Derek shook his head and pulled Jackson from the room. Down the hall, Isaac hung back. He watched the scene, his eyes flicking to Peter’s body. Jackson sighed and the door fixed itself, just in time for Jackson to shove Derek through it. Derek sat up, watching Jackson go to his bedroom and slam the door. It was like a child having a tantrum and Derek didn’t know the first thing to do about that.

Isaac couldn’t take his eyes from Peter and Derek could sense that he wanted to help. Derek left the room, glancing at the door. He would need someone to fix it. He doubted that Peter wanted the entire pack to see him like that, especially if Stiles caught a glimpse of him. None of them would hear the end of it. He walked up to Isaac, placing a hand on his shoulder and taking him downstairs for something to drink before putting him to bed.

“What’s happening to him, Derek?” Isaac whispered as they entered the kitchen. He tensed when he saw Vincent sitting at the table, drinking coffee and reading the paper.

“He’s ––”

“I would advise against it, Derek,” Vincent said without raising his eyes. “Nothing good can come from telling everyone that asks.”

Derek glared at Vincent. “They have a right to know. They’re my pack, you isolated bastard. Just because dragons spend all their time alone, doesn’t mean that every species is like that.”

“I am aware of the serious drawbacks of being a wolf.” Derek growled and Vincent finally looked up. “You should be trying to keep Jackson calm. His battle is over and the knowledge that his snow wolf was trying to reveal is now out. You might want to remind him that you’re his alpha.”

“He’s fine.” Derek heated milk in a pot and added some chocolate chips. Once they were melted, he poured it into a glass for Isaac. “What do you know about the coven that’s in town and when the hell did they get here?”

Vincent sighed and dropped the newspaper. “I would prefer not to talk in front of the children. Follow me to the study.” He ruffled Isaac’s hair as he left the kitchen.

Derek rolled his eyes and followed the dragon to the left of the kitchen and into a room lined with bookshelves. The books were mostly historical volumes on Beacon Hills. They needed to know what was buried where, what had been summoned and the areas to avoid. Vincent sat at the desk, turning on the lamp and gazing at Derek indifferently.

“The only reason I’m saying any of this is because I don’t want my ward to be injured by you or your uncle. With Jackson being injured once I now have a black mark on my record and I’m not entirely happy about that. So sit down, shut up and let me tell you a little story about Beacon Hills.”

Derek sat down and waited as patiently as he could for whatever story Vincent had for him. He honestly had no idea what a dragon could possibly know about his town. Growing up, Derek had heard every legend that was out there about Beacon Hills. His mother enjoyed most of the stories, especially those about vampires once walking the streets. Every member of the Hale pack had gotten a good laugh out of that story.

Vincent inhaled deeply and Derek waited for the long winded story he was about to be subjected to. “Beacon Hills was once a beacon for all things supernatural. Someone did some stupid shit and it created a magnet here. Story is over. Do you have any questions?”

Derek stared at Vincent blankly. He did have questions, but he was certain that most of them would end with him dead. Before he could ask anything, Vincent glanced up at the ceiling and smirked. He sat back and Derek got to his feet when he heard someone dropping out of a window. He ran upstairs and opened Jackson’s door. He frowned when he saw Jackson lying on the bed, arms behind his head and headphones on.

“Wasn’t me, genius. I told ya he would survive.”

Shaking his head, Derek went to Peter’s room and sighed when he saw the empty bed. He heard a wolf howling, asking for their audience. He really didn’t want to deal with another wolf-shifter, but he had to get his uncle to see reason and hopefully do as Jackson did; follow him. Something told him it wasn’t going to be that easy. Boyd and Erica woke from their slumber at the howl and the front door opened, likely Isaac.

Jackson came out of his room, dressed in jeans and a hoodie. His eyes slid over to Derek, as though waiting for permission to run after Peter and rip his throat out. Derek wasn’t sure if he could allow that, but he figured it was instinct on Jackson’s behalf. He honestly had no idea if he could trust Peter after asking Tsuki to make him a wolf-shifter.

There was one problem with Peter howling, though. It would attract the attention of the alpha pack and Derek had a hard enough time trying to dissuade them from Jackson. He highly doubted that Peter would know the first thing about stopping his eyes from swirling. It had taken Jackson five days to learn how to harness his magic. Of course, he didn’t know the full content of the contract that his uncle had with Tsuki. Maybe he was able to get full knowledge.

Derek nodded and Jackson leapt over the banister. He ran from the house and Derek shook his head, following his shifter. He knew his pack was behind him as they followed the howl. They arrived two minutes after Jackson. He could hear Scott and Stiles on their way towards them, as well as the alpha pack. Peter had demanded everyone’s attention and he was going to get it.

In the clearing that Tsuki had made earlier that night, Peter sat there in his wolf form. He was five feet and three inches at the shoulder. His grey coat shimmered red in the moonlight and his eyes swirled between orange and red. Derek swallowed, forcing back his fear. It didn’t matter that Peter was a fire wolf or that he was bigger than Jackson. Who was he kidding? Of course it mattered!

Minutes later, Liam, Liam’s brother, Mark, Scott and Stiles showed up. They froze as they stared at the wolf that had called them there. The jaws opened and pulled back in a malicious looking grin. Derek had no idea what he was going to do. His uncle had yet to do anything threatening, aside from calling all of them there to show off the fact that he was now a wolf-shifter. There wasn’t any show of power, as there had been with Jackson.

Derek watched as Jackson and Peter stared at each other. They weren’t speaking, but Derek knew they were having words. It would be a power struggle between them, especially if Peter wanted to be the favorite beta. If he proved more powerful than Jackson, Derek would have to let that happen. He couldn’t let his personal feelings for Jackson keep him as the top beta if he wasn’t the best.

“Are you shitting me?” Mark asked as his eyes flickered between Jackson and Peter. “I thought there was something odd about his scent.” He walked over to Derek, pausing when Jackson snarled at him. The sound was almost demonic. “I just want to talk to your mate.”

At the shocked eyes on him, Derek pursed his lips. “He’s _not_ my mate!” he snapped at Mark. “How many times do I need to tell you that before it sinks into your alcoholic ass?”

Mark held his hands up. “Hey, I’m not the one that marked him.” He grinned and lowered his hands. “I actually came because he howled and to tell you that there’s a coven of witches in the town. We caught their putrid stink when we left the pub. I also heard that twelve kiddies were murdered today.”

Scott stared at Derek. “So that’s why I could always smell you on him? Why didn’t you tell us that you had marked him?”

“It was an _accident_!” Derek glared at Scott, hoping he would drop the subject. “You were just told that twelve children were murdered and all you can focus on is the fact that I marked Jackson as mine?”

Scott raised an eyebrow and Derek sighed as Peter shifted back into a human. “Well, it explains why he accepted you so easily as his alpha when he became a wolf-shifter.” He grinned, his swirling eyes flashing.

Derek gritted his teeth. “We have witches in the town!”

Liam’s brother glanced at Liam. Liam nodded. “My brother says you could do worse, ya know.”

“It also explains why you didn’t help him that much when he came back as a werewolf,” Isaac said quietly, lowering his eyes. “You didn’t want to show favoritism. I don’t know why you two kept it a secret, though.”

Jackson blinked. “Hey, I knew _nothing_ about this until tonight!” The blush didn’t help his cause.

Derek threw his hands up defeat. He focused on Mark, since he seemed to be the only one that really cared about a coven of witches being in town. “Do you know anything about the witches?”

“Nope. All we caught was their scent. Chances are, they’re here to take over. You know what covens are like, though. They will have a leader that gives them all their power. If you take out that bitch, you should be able to disband them.” Mark smiled apologetically. “I didn’t realize this was going to be such a tough town to set up business in. I hope you don’t mind, but we have established our roots here a bit now. We don’t plan on leaving.”

“Even with wolf-shifters, a dragon-shifter, a demon, an established pack and a coven in town? Why would anyone want to leave all this?” Stiles rolled his eyes, finally finding his voice after the shock of knowing that Derek and Jackson were mated.

“This town is exciting. If we expand our business, we could pull in a lot more money.” Mark’s eyes were glittering green at the prospect. “We will stay out of your way, as long as you stay out of ours. I don’t care how many shifters you have working under you.” He glanced at Liam’s brother and nodded. The werewolf ran back the way they had come. “We’ll try to find the coven. We won’t take them out, though. This is still your town.”

“Of course,” Derek said through tight lips. “I can’t expect you earn your keep around here, can I? I do appreciate the help.” His eyes slid over to Peter for a moment. “You never did tell me why you attacked my uncle.”

Mark grinned. “I’ll let him explain that.” He turned and walked away with Liam a step behind.

Jackson’s eyes snapped to Peter. “Don’t even think about it, pup. I know how to poison you if you go too far into my mind,” Peter warned and narrowed his eyes.

“I know how to shield my mind, old man,” Jackson snapped and Derek sensed the loyalty from the snow wolf. “Why were you looking for the alpha pack?”

“I do believe that that’s my business, pup.”

Vincent dropped from the air and landed in front of Jackson. “It ended with my ward being injured,” he stated and crossed his arms. “It isn’t your business anymore. I think Derek has a right to know that you wanted to kill one of them and attain the status of alpha again.”

Derek stared at Peter, trying to fully understand what he just heard. He knew that Peter didn’t like being a beta, but there were some things that couldn’t be helped. Peter gazed back at him. There wasn’t a hint of apology or remorse in the swirling eyes and Derek knew that Vincent had spoken the truth. He couldn’t do anything about it, though. He wasn’t strong enough to take out a wolf-shifter.

“So the crazy uncle was after more power? What a surprise!” Stiles threw his hands up with the air and shook his head. “We didn’t know what to do with _one_ wolf-shifter and he’s slightly less insane than the crazy uncle.” He focused his eyes on Peter. “Couldn’t you have just – I don’t know – shown up for occasions like Christmas and gotten drunk, revealing embarrassing facts about your family to the point that they kick you out?”

Peter rolled his eyes. “Look, my quest to become alpha is over. I’m a wolf-shifter now. I suggest that you don’t overstep the boundary, boy,” he warned. Jackson growled and Peter cocked an eyebrow. “Oh, so now you’re defending him? Derek really has made you his bitch.”

“He’s not my mate!” Derek declared, even though it fell on deaf ears.

“The only one that threatens him is _me_ ,” Jackson clarified as his eyes turned white. Peter started gasping and fell to a knee. “The one that gets the belly rubs from Allison is _me_. Just remember that fire cannot survive without oxygen, which I command.”

“Enough,” Derek ordered and stood in front of Jackson. The snow wolf blinked and his eyes returned to their usual blue-silver battle. “If he accepts me as his alpha, you are not to kill him.” Jackson’s mouth parted slightly. “And I mean it. You show your loyalty to me by following my orders.”

Jackson glanced at the others. They had their eyes lowered, apparently not wanting to get involved in this so-called tiff. “But he ––” He cut himself off and nodded. “Yes, sir.”

Vincent shook his head and slipped an arm around Jackson’s shoulders. Derek bit back a protective growl and let Vincent lead Jackson back to the house. Isaac raised his eyes and finally noticed the area they were in. He frowned as he saw the uprooted trees, clearly thinking that a nuke had gone off. Derek wasn’t sure if they wanted to know that that bomb was Tsuki.

Derek turned to Peter, seeing the bored look on his face. “Do you accept me as your alpha?”

 

oOo

 

Jackson swallowed the lump in his throat, trying to understand why Derek was treating him that way. He hadn’t done anything wrong. In fact, he was trying to protect Derek from himself. When it came to his family, he was completely blind to what they were capable of. Jackson knew he wasn’t going to go on a killing spree the moment Derek turned his back. The same couldn’t be said for Peter, though.

Vincent refused to let go of him until they were in the kitchen. Jackson sat at the small table, a cup of chamomile tea appearing in front of him. He stared down into the brown liquid, trying not to think about the lack of faith Derek had in him. Maybe Derek was upset that Jackson had ended their session too quickly when he felt the wolf in Peter. That seemed a little petty, though.

Sipping at the tea, Jackson closed his eyes. He could hear the others getting closer. He crushed the cup in his hand when he realized that Peter was with them, reaffirming that he would accept Derek as his alpha. While his mouth said that, his mind said something entirely different. However, Derek didn’t seem to think that hearing someone’s innermost thoughts and desires was enough proof to rip their throat out.

Vincent gently opened his hand and pulled out the porcelain that was embedded in the skin. Jackson watched the dragon, his eyes sliding over to the entrance when Isaac walked in. His eyes were alive and Jackson knew it was because they could study how two opposite wolf-shifters interacted. Jackson was more than ready to show Isaac how that worked. He was going to rip Peter’s throat out and wear his skin like a cloak.

“Give him a chance, Jax,” Vincent whispered as he kissed Jackson’s palm.

The cuts healed and Jackson glared at Peter was he entered the kitchen. Jackson pushed away from the table and walked out the back door. He walked around the house and wondered if he should hunt down that coven and take them out. He needed something to work his frustration out on. Of course, he knew how stupid that was. He didn’t know the first thing about witches, but he could work with Mark and his pack for a short time.

Jackson went to the front and sat on the steps, a hand resting on his neck. He was glad that he wasn’t the only wolf-shifter, but his instincts were telling him that Peter was bad news for them. The guy was insane as a werewolf alpha. Now he had the magic, strength and power of a wolf-shifter. As much as it pained him to do so, Jackson figured it was time to let Derek handle this one alone. Perhaps in the moments before his death, he would understand why Jackson didn’t trust Peter.

Movement caught his eyes and Jackson blinked, raising his head. He stared at Scott and Stiles. Neither looked pleased about being there and Jackson honestly didn’t blame them. He was finding that house to be stifling. The moment he knew who he was and what he wanted, Peter had to take it away from him. He closed his eyes and forced his emotions to behave. He didn’t need Scott and the others picking up on his jealousy.

“Hey,” Stiles called as he jogged up to Jackson. He sat beside the snow wolf. “What’s it like to have another of your kind around?”

“He isn’t one of my kind,” Jackson muttered and glanced at Stiles from the corner of his eye. He was aware that they didn’t know of the different magical kinds between the shifters. “He’s a fire wolf and I’m a snow wolf.”

“Oh.” Stiles lowered his eyes and Jackson could hear the thoughts whirling through his mind. It was so loud and not private in the slightest.

“You’re so loud,” Jackson said and raised his shields. He turned his eyes to Scott. The beta was standing at the foot of the stairs. His eyes were soft and Jackson pursed his lips. “We’re not mated, okay? It was an accident. Probably from the wolf’s bane that was in his system at the time.”

Jackson stared at Scott’s shoes, wishing he would drop the issue about the whole bonding thing. Neither he nor Derek claimed to be mated. Neither of them was lying about it. So why couldn’t Scott let the issue drop? Why did he want to know about everything that went on between them? Nothing had happened, except for the little flirting session that happened about an hour ago.

He could still taste Derek’s skin. He tensed and mentally shook his head, trying to smash down the emotions that were trying to circle through his body. Thinking about Derek as a mate was the worst thing to do, especially with Peter around. He couldn’t risk being distracted when Peter had the power of a wolf-shifter. He heard Stiles asking questions, but he didn’t want to think about anything at the moment.

Scott and Stiles went inside, leaving Jackson with his thoughts. He lowered his shields a little, searching out Peter’s mind. He planted himself in there and waited for anything that could lead him to believe Peter was the evil bastard he really is. There wasn’t anything on the surface of Peter’s mind, but he jumped when the front door was ripped open. He got to his feet and faced Derek.

“Stay out of his mind, Jackson.” Derek narrowed his eyes in warning.

Jackson stumbled down the stairs, twisting his ankle badly. He nodded and pulled back from Peter’s mind, hearing the fire wolf shouting that he was out. Derek shook his head and Vincent’s words came back to him. Maybe he should give Peter a chance. It seemed that Derek was going to go extra hard on him, just to make sure everyone knew they weren’t mates.

“I didn’t mean – I just wanted…” Jackson bit the inside of his lower lip, trying to keep off his right foot. “I won’t do it again.”

Derek exhaled and walked down the stairs, frowning when Jackson retreated two limping steps. “Yes, you will. You can’t help it. You don’t trust him and ––”

“You don’t trust him, either!” Jackson shot back and cracked his ankle back into place. “You’re trying to, but you don’t.”

Derek stepped forward and Jackson stepped back two. “I have to trust him, Jackson. I have to.” He went to take another step, but found his feet were frozen the moment he twitched. “I need you to trust him, as well.”

Jackson shook his head and limped past Derek, growling when his arm was caught. The ice cracked and broke. Jackson tried to pull arm free, curious on his Derek would let him go. When the werewolf continued to hold him, Jackson sighed and glanced at him from the corner of his eye. He wasn’t going to give into his base needs and have Derek fuck him on the front lawn.

The idea was too appealing, so Jackson yanked his arm free and went inside. He went up to his room, closing and locking the door as he fell onto his bed. He inhaled deeply and could smell Derek’s scent all over the bed. He growled and ripped the covers and sheets from the bed, throwing them into the corner of the room.

He curled up on the bed, liking the fresh scent of the mattress. He closed his eyes, raising his shields so he didn’t have to worry about Peter seeing what he was thinking. He shivered and nuzzled into the mattress, listening into Derek’s thoughts as he spoke to Peter. Jackson tried not to growl or snarl or anything that would alert Derek to the fact he was listening in. He was not going to let Derek push him around because he didn’t want the others thinking there was anything between them.

Jackson sat up. He went to the window and gazed out it, eyes skimming the tops of the trees. He chewed his lower lip and then opened the window. If Derek wanted him to work extra hard to prove to the others that they weren’t together, he would do just that, except, he would do what he wanted when he wanted. He sat on the window sill, swinging his legs outside.

It would be easy to find the alpha pack and have them take him to the coven. A sharp pain stabbed into the side of his head. His forehead smashed the glass of the window as he jerked forward. Shards fell into his thighs and the hand he used to protect a certain area. He fell from the window and landed in a heap under his window. He knew his right arm was broken, his left knee was dislocated and four ribs were broken.

He tried to call out, but his throat had closed up and he realized he was having a panic attack about falling from the window. He tried to sit up, but found that none of his limbs would move. He could still feel the pain, so he knew it wasn’t a broken neck. He tried calling out for help again and still nothing happened. He looked up and decided to slow his breathing, which wasn’t working.

Jackson closed his eyes, thinking about the sharp pain. Vincent would never do something like that, but Peter had threatened him. With a growl, Jackson pushed up to his feet, ignoring the scratching along his lungs from the broken ribs. He shoved his knee back into place and made his way into the house. He made his way into the study, not surprised that the door was locked.

A flick of his hand had the door opened and he glared at Peter. “If you’re going to attack me mentally, I suggest you make sure that I can’t trace it back to you!”

Derek stepped around the desk, staring at him. “What happened?”

Jackson ignored Derek and kept his eyes on Peter. “Don’t ever do it again or I will make sure it’s twice as worse for you.” He slapped away Derek’s hand.

Peter raised an eyebrow. “Where were you sitting, when the attack happened?” His eyes dropped to the shards of glass in Jackson’s thighs. “Or should I ask, where were you planning on going?”

Jackson shook his head and attempted to shift into his animal form. He winced and found he couldn’t push the pain aside enough to do so. He allowed Derek to help him up to his room, where his clothing was removed. The shards were removed. He closed his eyes and sighed quietly when Derek started licking his broken arm. He inhaled deeply, smelling Derek all around him.

Watching the way that Derek’s tongue ran over his skin made Jackson bite his lower lip. He stared at the ceiling, deciding that was better than thinking about what Derek could do to him. His hand was the next injury to be healed. At the taste of his blood, Derek growled and gripped Jackson’s hips hard. He looked up and his eyes were red. Jackson ignored it, suppressing the hormones.

Jackson closed his eyes and clawed at the mattress. He refused to whimper and moan for Derek, especially since he didn’t want anything from him. He realized that that probably wasn’t the best thing to think about, given that he could murder Derek without even trying. He tried to push the thoughts out of his mind, not wanting to get into an argument.

“It was the wolf’s bane in your system at the time, wasn’t it?” he asked and opened his eyes.

Derek paused and lifted his head. “Would it make you feel better if I said yes?”

“It would make sense. You were poisoned and had no idea what you were doing. I was being a bastard and you reacted out of instinct, not realizing that instinct was to claim me.” Jackson tried to sigh, but winced and closed his eyes.

“If anyone scents me on you again, just say you’re the omega.”

Jackson swallowed and nodded. “So how do we get rid of it? I can’t walk around with the scent of a werewolf on me. It’s bad enough that your uncle stares at me now that his nose is more sensitive. Can you imagine what other shifters must think of me?”

The silence stretched on and Jackson finally looked at Derek. He frowned when he saw the pain, sorrow and rage in the red eyes of his alpha. He frowned and tried to sit up, but Derek shoved him back down. He called out for Vincent and Jackson tilted his head slightly, trying not to show too much of his throat to Derek. He pushed Derek’s hand away and tried to sit up. He was pushed back down again and Derek growled.

Jackson stared at Derek, feeling a small streak of fear flash through him at the growl. He lied down and stared at the ceiling, calming his racing heart. He was a damn wolf-shifter and a growl from a werewolf scared him? That didn’t make sense, unless it was because Derek was his alpha and he had some kind of hold over him.

“You actually felt fear from that?” Derek inquired as his thumb made gentle circles on Jackson’s chest. His eyes returned to the normal green and softened.

Jackson took a slow, deep breath and called out for Vincent. He wasn’t ready to talk about anything else with his alpha. He wanted to be healed so he could get away from Derek. He pushed Derek’s hand away, only for his alpha to grab it and stare into his eyes. Not hearing Vincent, Jackson called out for Tsuki instead, grateful when the demon appeared instantly.

Tsuki stood beside Derek. He tilted his head, leaned down and pressed his lips to Jackson’s. They broke apart when Derek snarled and ripped Tsuki back. The demon raised an eyebrow and Jackson got to his feet, standing in front of Derek. He shook his head. Tsuki bowed his head and disappeared from the room. Jackson turned to Derek and pointed to the door.

“Never do that again. If you don’t want to be my mate, you have _no_ right to stop someone from kissing me. We’re not together and you won’t tell me how to break the bond. Now get out.” Jackson sighed and turned away from Derek. “Get out until you decide what you want. Kissing a demon can’t be any worse than waiting for your ancient ass.”

“You’re locked to this room for a few days. I know you were getting ready to leave, find Mark and his pals and hunt down the coven.”

Jackson’s eyes widened slightly and he turned back to Derek. “Are you joking? The full moon is tomorrow! I want to run with the pack. I want to feel the power of everyone with me. I want ––”

Derek sighed. “Do whatever you want, just don’t leave this room.” He left and closed the door, leaving a stunned Jackson behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the comments and for the kudos! I hope to get more of them in the future. I also hope that the chapter was to your liking. The plot thing is slowly moving forward. Thanks for all the love!  
> Until the next one, my lovelies!  
> Peace.
> 
> Auska.


	9. Chapter IX

**~Dying Angel Style~**

**By:** Aerys Krystie.

oOo

The full moon arrived with its usual vigor. Jackson frowned when he didn’t feel the usual pull from it and figured that wolf-shifters had much better control than werewolves did. He sighed and turned from the window when he heard Peter howl. There was a knock at his door and Jackson ignored it. Derek had given him specific orders not to leave his room.

_Why the hell am I listening to anything he says?_ Jackson shook his head and opened the door, not surprised to see Stiles there. The human grinned and invited him to the kitchen for some snacks. With a nod, Jackson followed him down. At least he would be around Vincent, who was still being interrogated about being a dragon. Jackson had to admit, it would be pretty awesome to see Vincent’s animal form.

As he sat beside Stiles at the small table, helping himself to a handful of potato chips, Jackson kept his eyes lowered. Vincent was staring at him, probing his mind with questions that he wasn’t ready to answer. He didn’t want anyone to know that he preferred a vegetarian diet. After seeing people murdered, it made him realize that it wasn’t fair for animals to be murdered in the same way. He swallowed and glanced up.

“I’m not answering the questions,” he stated and dropped his eyes again.

“Is that because you don’t know?” Stiles asked, slathering a chocolate spread on a piece of bread. “Or is it because you don’t want others to know?”

Jackson stared at him, slipping into his mind. Stiles had noticed the change in his diet months ago, when he was actually eating. He couldn’t believe that _Stiles_ of all people had noticed the change in him before anyone else did. He knew that Vincent had been in his mind and seen why he didn’t want to eat meat, but he had no idea how Stiles had put it together.

Stiles ate his sandwich and Jackson looked at the chips in front of him. He had no idea what to say to any of the questions that were asked. He could hear that Stiles was only concerned for him and Jackson flinched. He was a complete dick to Stiles and Scott, but Stiles was still trying to help him. Stiles smiled at him and Jackson tentatively raised his eyes.

“How is the change going to affect you now that you’re a wolf-shifter?” Stiles inquired as he picked up a handful of salt and vinegar chips. “I mean, you’re a proper wolf now – sorta. Don’t you need the meat to keep up your energy?”

Jackson shrugged and looked at Vincent. He hadn’t thought of that. He figured it would was like being a werewolf. As a werewolf, he could change his preference in diets and it didn’t seem to affect him that much. He had no idea what it was like being a wolf-shifter, given that he doesn’t eat that much anyway. He waited for Vincent to reveal the truth, desperately hoping that he didn’t need to eat meat because his body needed it.

“As long as you get the protein and iron, you don’t have to eat meat. I would suggest that you stop skipping meals, as well. You need all the energy you can get, since you now need the energy for your magic. Being a wolf-shifter is a lot harder than being a werewolf. Your instincts are stronger, since you’re more closely related to the wolves.”

Stiles raised an eyebrow. “So, wolf-shifters are more like wolves than werewolves?” Vincent nodded and sipped his coffee. “So why you do keep saying that shifters are superior to werewolves? It seems that werewolves have a better control over their instincts.”

Vincent snorted. “They’re off running because of a full moon. Wolves don’t feel that pull, which is why Jackson isn’t itching to get out there and join them. Peter is just an idiot, which is why he joined them. He wanted to know if it would be the same as being a werewolf. Werewolves are inferior simply because they are. They lack the discipline that shifters need in order to fit in. Control their wolf? Easy enough. Control their wolf, while controlling their magic and their eyes? Not quite as easy.”

A car pulled onto the front lawn, followed a few moments later by another. Jackson inhaled and caught the scent of Allison and Chris. He caught a scent that was similar to Scott and Stiles. It was their parents, as far as he could tell. He felt his blood run colder than usual and looked at Vincent, hoping he could return to his room. He wasn’t ready to face Melissa. He couldn’t look at her and not think of what he’d done to her.

“Your father is here, Stiles,” Vincent said. Stiles jumped to his feet and ran to the door, pulling it open and inviting everyone in. Vincent didn’t take his eyes from Jackson, but there was a soothing presence in his mind, staving off the panic attack that wanted to take over.

“Jackson,” Allison called when she entered the kitchen. “You aren’t with the others?”

Jackson broke the connection he had with Vincent and turned to her. He smiled. “Wolf-shifters don’t feel the pull of the full moon. I was also contained to my bedroom, since I wanted to take out the coven without telling Derek about it.” He shrugged and looked at the Sheriff and Melissa. “Hi,” he greeted.

John Stilinski couldn’t look away from Jackson’s swirling eyes. “I was told you had become a wolf-shifter,” he said slowly and then managed to glance at Vincent. “I hear you’re a dragon-shifter.” Vincent dropped his magic and allowed his eyes to swirl. “And I hear there’s meant to be a demon around here somewhere, as well.”

“Right here, Sheriff.”

John jumped and spun around, staring at Tsuki. Jackson grinned for a moment, until he saw the way Melissa was staring at him. He cleared his throat quietly and lowered his eyes, muttering something about going back to his room. He tried to give her room, but she blocked his path and he jumped back, landing behind Vincent. The dragon sighed and stood, asking Melissa to let Jackson go to his room.

“I need to talk to him,” she said and raised an eyebrow.

Vincent held his hands up and sat down. “You’re on your own,” he remarked and finished his coffee, before offering a drink to the others.

Jackson kept his eyes lowered and ducked down, hoping she would forget he was even in the room. That didn’t work. She called his name and he fought back a flinch, crouching down further until he was kneeling behind Vincent. He heard her sigh and walk up to the chair. She crouched and gazed at him as he tried not to look in her direction. She wasn’t angry with him, but she was curious about what had happened.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, staring at the floor. “I never wanted to hurt you.”

“I know, Jackson. I haven’t heard anything about you for months, though. Are you okay?” There was kindness and warmth in her voice.

Jackson frowned and looked up, staring into her eyes. “I’m okay,” he finally murmured and looked down again.

“Really?” she questioned and placed a hand on his shoulder, pulling back when he flinched. “You look a little thin.”

Jackson shook his head, moving away from her. She knew that what he did was against his will and she had forgiven him for it. He didn’t understand how she could, as he would have murdered her if he was given the command. He couldn’t think of anything worse than taking someone’s parent and he had done that with Isaac’s father and anyone else he had murdered.

He raised his head when he heard the others returning. He knew that Derek would be angry with him for leaving his room. He moved around the table and left the kitchen, heading upstairs to his room. His door closed just as they entered, laughing and talking about the run. He lied on the bed, closing his eyes and trying to ignore the surprise at the parents being there. He figured the Sheriff would want to know about the murders.

_Remember that pain, Jax_ , Vincent said and Jackson nodded. It hurt to know he was a monster and that everyone seemed to forgive him for what he’d done. How could they? He would never understand that and he figured that’s what forgiveness was. It was an act that no one understood, but an act that nearly everyone craved. Jackson didn’t crave it, especially since he couldn’t forgive himself for what he’d done.

The door opened and Derek entered. He sat on the edge of the bed and Jackson turned his back to his alpha. “Are you hungry?”

“No,” he answered. It was a bit of a lie. He had been hungry earlier, but he lost his appetite.

“What’s wrong?”

Jackson moved away from the hand on his shoulder. “Nothing,” he replied and stared at the wall. “I just want to be alone for a little bit.”

“A pack member is never alone, Jackson,” Derek said quietly as he lied on the bed, pulling Jackson against his hot and sweaty torso.

Jackson groaned and pulled away, trying to escape the scent that was purely Derek. “You never did tell me if there was a way to remove the bond,” he said and closed his eyes. “If you don’t want to be my mate, then we should find a way of removing it.”

Derek grew unnaturally still behind him and Jackson didn’t bother to look at the emotions in his eyes. Neither of them wanted this, but Derek wasn’t doing anything about removing it. He sighed and moved to his knees, gazing down at Derek blankly. He saw the hurt in his alpha’s eyes. What could he do about it, though? Derek kept saying they weren’t mates and it was time to make that certain.

“So?” he demanded.

Derek sat up and stared back at him, trying to suppress the emotions. “What would you do if I said that I want you as my mate?”

Jackson frowned for a moment. “I’d say to stop snorting crack off a clown’s boner.” Downstairs, he heard Isaac and Scott laugh. He really hoped it was because of something else. He didn’t need them listening in on the conversation. “I can’t be your mate, Derek. I’m a wolf-shifter and you’re a werewolf. It wouldn’t work.”

A puzzled crease appeared between Derek’s eyebrows. He got off the bed. “You’re leaving us, aren’t you?”

“After the shit with the coven has settled down, I think it would be best if I’m around my own kind.” Jackson blinked. He had no idea when he decided on that, but it felt completely natural. He needed to be around a pack that could challenge and mature him.

“We…” Derek trailed off to clear his throat. “We can’t break it. I’ve never heard of mates wanting to break the bond.”

Jackson stared at the wall in front of him, unable to look at Derek. He knew that if he did, he would want to stay with him. “I always wanted to know why I was drawn to you, knowing I wasn’t gay. You could have told me about this. It would’ve been nice to know that a bond was the reason why I couldn’t stay away.” He exhaled sharply and finally looked at Derek. “It doesn’t help that you keep denying it as well.”

“This isn’t something that you want, Jackson.”

“You never told me why I wanted to be around you. Why I – why I was basically addicted to you. Did you even know what you’d done to me?” Derek lowered his eyes and Jackson growled. “You’ve known all this time and you didn’t say shit to me?”

“You started pulling away from me. How was I meant to know that you were depressed about having werewolf pneumonia? You didn’t say anything to me, either.” Derek raised his eyes and they flashed red. “You aren’t all that innocent in this.”

“You treated me like I had the fucking bubonic plague! _Lepers_ were treated better than I was. You were so scared of what you were feeling that you pushed me away. Now that I want to break the god damn bond, you’re trying to convince me that I shouldn’t? I have no idea if I love you because I do or if it’s a side effect of the bond.”

“Just fuck already!” Stiles called from downstairs.

“Shut up, Stilinski!” Derek and Jackson shouted. Derek continued. “You didn’t exactly show your affection for me, Jackson. Every time I tried to help you, you would pull even further from me. How was I meant to know that you thought you love me?”

“ _Loved_ , Derek. Past tense. For the record, I was confused and had no idea what was happening to me. You aren’t exactly the best when it comes to explanations.”

“And if I said right now that I love you?”

“I’ll know you’re full of shit and I’ll rip your fucking heart out.” Jackson narrowed his eyes, deciding that Vincent was right about having more pain in life than anything else. “Once we find the coven, a pack should be in town to accept me.”

Jackson headed for the door, only to be caught. He growled in warning, but Derek released the growl that had Jackson tense in fear. “You accepted me as your alpha. You can’t leave me and no pack will take you while you have my scent.”

The fear gave way to anger as he heard Derek’s thoughts. “You marked me on purpose. You made sure that no one else would want me if I smelled like you.” Jackson spun around and shoved a green scaled clawed hand into Derek’s ribs, ripping out the lower one on the right side.

Derek shouted in pain and stumbled back. Jackson held up the bloody bone and gazed at it curiously, almost like a child would with a dead animal. He dropped the bone and grinned, pouncing on Derek and removing another bone. He ignored the cries of agony, slowly breaking and pulling out ribs until Derek’s chest looked like minced meat.

Jackson’s mind snapped. He came back to himself just as he ran his claws along Derek’s lungs, trying to gain control of his body. He tried to pull back, but his hand plunged into Derek’s chest and ripped out his heart. Jackson screamed as he saw the life fade from Derek’s eyes and he heard the sinister chuckle of Peter from behind him.

 

oOo

 

“Christ, you have some fucked up dreams, kid.”

Jackson stared at the swirling eyes of Vincent, waiting for his heart to stop pounding against his chest. He swallowed thickly, feeling the sweat on his body cooling in the breeze that swept through the open windows. He raised his hands and saw that there was no blood on them. They were normal. There were no green scales or claws.

He closed his eyes and exhaled shakily, unsure of the last nightmare he had. He slowly opened his eyes and sat up, wiping the sweat from his forehead. Vincent had stood back, watching him with concern and saying nothing. Jackson nodded. He was fine, for the moment. He had no idea what he was going to do about that nightmare. His first instinct was to make sure that Derek was all right.

Vincent said that Derek was meeting with Mark and his pack, trying to figure out if the leader of the coven was in town. Jackson nodded again and threw back the covers of the bed. He went into the bathroom and showered quickly. He waved his hand over his body, was dried and dressed instantly. He went downstairs, accepting the chamomile tea that Vincent had prepared for him.

“Did you want to talk about?”

Jackson shook his head, resting his forehead against the heel of his palm. He sipped the tea, staying silent for another few moments. He finally looked up at Vincent. He expected the dragon to be reading the newspaper or doing something that didn’t involve staring at him. Jackson lowered his eyes, unsure if he should talk to Vincent about it. What could it hurt?

“It’s the same dream I’ve had since Derek confined me to my room. I don’t know if it means that I’m extremely pissed off at him or that I want to murder him because…” Jackson swallowed the last words and lowered his eyes again.

What could he say? He wanted to murder his alpha because he had to touch Derek sexually? That would make him sound like he needed professional help. Derek was adamant that they weren’t mates, but maybe there was something more to the dreams than he was giving them credit for. He slowly raised his eyes and Vincent shrugged. Clearly, he wasn’t going to help with dissecting the dreams and understanding them.

Jackson smiled and shook his head. He adored Vincent, but there were times that he wanted to smash the dragon’s face into the tabletop. He stood and took his tea into the living room, which had been cleaned since Peter bled all over it. He turned on the television and curled up on the sofa, sipping his tea and watching an old western movie.

He thought about what he said in the dream. Did he really want to join a wolf-shifter pack, once they had taken care of the coven? Did he really want to break the bond he had with Derek, since they weren’t the same kind anymore? Jackson shook his head. He really needed to figure this stuff out before he asked Tsuki to destroy their bond.

Jackson jumped when he felt another presence beside him. He stared at Tsuki and the demon gazed back. He took the cup and placed it on the table, pulling Jackson until his head was in his lap. Jackson closed his eyes and let Tsuki stroke his hair. It was strangely soothing and it made him feel like a child again. His adoptive mother never did this, though.

“Do I love him because of the bond?” Jackson asked softly, not bothering to open his eyes.

“The bond only works on what is already there,” Tsuki explained. His voice was gentle and calming. “If you did not care for him, you would not continually seek him out.”

“Are you able to destroy the bond?”

The hands paused for a moment, as though surprised by the question. They resumed their movements. “I could, if you really wanted that. I mean that you must have no doubts about wanting it gone, because I will not allow Derek to mark you again.”

Jackson nodded slightly and opened his eyes, gazing at the screen. “Werewolves aren’t immortal, though.” A resounding sorrow took over him at those words. He closed his eyes to keep the tears back. “I can’t be with someone if I know they’re going to die.”

He couldn’t think of anything worse than thinking of life without Derek in it. He had grown too accustomed to the alpha being in his life, despite only being in it for a short time. He squeezed Tsuki’s knee and heard the demon shushing him. He inhaled deeply and pushed the thoughts away, deciding that having a short life with Derek was better than nothing. It would be harder to walk away from him than to make it work.

“You could change him into a wolf-shifter,” Tsuki murmured as he brushed the back of his fingers over Jackson’s cheek.

“He’s happy as a werewolf,” Jackson whispered and moved his eyes to his cup of tea. “He’ll never give up his heritage and I would never force it onto him.”

“Perhaps you should speak to him about it before you make decisions for him,” Tsuki said, running his thumb from Jackson’s temple down to his chin and back up again. “There is no harm in talking, Jackson.”

“I know.” Jackson couldn’t stop his voice from breaking. “I just don’t want to hear the rejection or the resentment.” He sighed softly and sat up, smiling at Tsuki. “You’re really not bad for a demon. Why are you so nice?”

Tsuki crossed his legs. “I am a demon by birth, but a human by choice. It annoys my father that I care so much about them.” A small smile flittered across his face.

Jackson stared at Tsuki. The smile was beautiful, despite the sorrow in it. “I really love him, don’t I?”

“You always have, Jackson. You just wanted to…pretend that you did not.” The smile slipped from Tsuki’s face as he turned his eyes to the television.

Jackson nodded and laid his head in Tsuki’s lap again, closing his eyes as the fingers ran through his hair. He listened to the movie and Tsuki’s heartbeat. He figured there were some things he needed to talk to Derek about once they had taken down the coven and made Beacon Hills safe for everyone. He had no idea that he was falling asleep and he didn’t care. He knew he wasn’t going to have any nightmares.

 

oOo

 

Derek stared at the map on the Stilinski’s dining table. He looked at the areas that Stiles had marked, which were the locations of the twelve children. They were found drained of blood and even the Sheriff asked if vampires existed. They were real, but Derek had never come across one before. He told the Sheriff to get those ideas out of his head.

Three bodies were found at true north, east, south and west points in the town. Derek raised his eyes when Mark knocked on the door to the house. The Irish alpha nodded and invited himself in, dropping a bag onto the map. Derek wrinkled his nose and stepped back, trying to get away from the putrid stench that made him want to gag.

Before Derek could say anything, Mark looked at Stiles and his dad. “How many humans know about you and your mate?” he asked and returned his eyes to Derek. “Do they know that he’s a wolf-shifter?”

“Yes,” Derek growled and Mark held his hands up. “What’s in the bag?”

Mark opened the bag and pulled out a head. The Sheriff exclaimed, but Stiles quickly silenced him. The head was placed on the bag and the black hair was pushed back. Derek gazed at the deformed mouth and crooked teeth. The skin was waxy and veined. Evil witches were never a pretty sight, dead or alive. He opened the mouth and pulled out the black tongue, sniffing it and ignoring Stiles’ cry of disgust. He could smell the blood.

“Oh, dude! That is just _wrong_ ,” Stiles said when Derek licked the tongue. “I don’t think Jackson is gonna be happy when he learns where you put your tongue.”

Derek glared at Stiles, but focused on the taste on his tongue. There was something sweet amongst the blood, which could be the natural sweetness of an innocent’s blood. He glanced at Mark and he nodded, confirming that it was the natural sweetness of the blood. Derek sighed and pushed open an eye, gazing at the clouded iris and pupil.

“How long ago did you kill her?” he asked as he looked at the claw marks on her throat. “I was hoping for a fresher specimen.”

“Then you go out and kill one,” Mark said as he sat down. “Liam and his brother are hunting down the others. I’m pretty sure that the leader sent the coven here to make a mark, before she comes in and completely fucks up the town.”

The head started screaming, which made them scream and jump away from the table. Mark ripped off the jaw and sighed. He dropped it beside the twitching head. Derek calmed his heart and didn’t bother to stop the Sheriff when he fired two rounds into the head. The head continued to twitch and Derek watched it for a moment.

“Until we take out the leader, we won’t be able to kill any of them. Not unless my theory works,” Mark explained as he sat down again.

“We don’t know where she is, though. What did you do with her body?” Derek glanced at Mark, hoping he didn’t just leave it lying around.

“I burned it in a hundred year old grave. That seemed to work back home, but our witches might be different than the American ones.” Mark shrugged and petted the matted hair of the head.

Derek raised an eyebrow. He honestly had no idea how to take out a coven. This was his first experience with witches and he wanted it to be his last. “What did Tsuki tell you about the coven leader?” he asked Stiles.

“He – uh – he didn’t tell me anything about her, actually,” Stiles admitted and scratched the back of his head. “He said that he wasn’t going to do all the work for us. Then he said something about it being your town and that he’s only here to help and not do your job.”

Derek growled and Mark laughed. “You need to make a contract with him, if you want him to take out the problem. That’s what I had to do when we had the dullahan running around,” he stated and picked up the head, shoving it back into the bag. “But you aren’t gonna make a contract with him. You’re lucky that you got the nice one.”

Derek frowned. “There’s more than one Tsuki?”

Mark nodded and swung the bag. “He has an identical, older brother that’s kind of a dick. He’s in town, too, by the way. He’s probably the one that led the witches here. He likes to make things difficult for his brother, since he’s the favorite.”

“Wait, you know about Tsuki?” Stiles asked as he sat down beside Mark. “What can you tell me about him?”

“There isn’t much to tell about him. Everything I learned about him was from trapping demons and torturing them. It would take months, by the way. The demons fear him as much as they fear Lucifer and that’s never a good thing. They don’t care about Tsuki’s brother, though. I think his name is Taylor or something.” Mark stopped swinging the bag. “All I really know is that Tsuki is near the top of the chain of command.”

“How old is he?” Stiles asked as his excitement picked up.

“He makes dirt look young. That’s all I really know about him.” Mark stood and nodded at the Sheriff. “Thank you for letting me in. It wouldn’t have killed ya to offer me a drink, though. I should see if the body has started moving. If he hasn’t, I’ll burn the head in the same grave. If that works, then we’ll know how to take down the coven.”

Derek nodded and forced out a thanks as Mark left. Now that he knew what the witches smelled like, it wouldn’t be difficult to track them down. He grabbed the jaw that Mark left behind and shuddered with disgust. It felt squishy. He would need his pack to know what they smelled like, though. Stiles disappeared and came back with a plastic bag. Derek dropped the jaw into it and asked Stiles to show up tomorrow at his house with Scott.

He left without another word and ran back to his house. He left the bag on the porch as he didn’t want that stench inside the house. If he didn’t want it, then he knew that Vincent would kill him for bringing something that vile inside. He heard the television going and went to the living room, cocking an eyebrow when he saw Tsuki there and Jackson’s head in his lap.

Tsuki turned his head, expressionless. He looked at Derek for a moment and then turned back to the movie. “How did the meeting with Mister Doyle go?” He wrinkled his nose. “He killed one of the witches and you brought a piece home. You might want to shower and burn those clothes.”

Derek said nothing. He could smell it on himself, so he went upstairs and showered. He wasn’t ready to burn the clothes, but he did change into a pair of jeans and headed back to the living room. Tsuki had moved to an armchair and Jackson was starting to wake. The shifter yawned and stretched, looking around blearily.

The tired eyes fell on him and Derek tilted his head. Jackson was surprisingly adorable when he first woke up. “You smell like shit,” Jackson stated and lied down again.

Derek sniffed the air surrounding him. He couldn’t smell the stench of the witch, except from outside. Of course, he forgot that a shifter’s nose was more sensitive. The scent would likely hang around for a while, until his personal musk took it over. He sat in the other armchair, trying to ignore the way Jackson pulled away and laid his head closer to Tsuki.

“Did you learn anything new about the coven?” Jackson mumbled, nuzzling into the arm of the sofa.

“The leader isn’t in town yet. Mark is testing a theory about how to take out the twelve that are in town, but he isn’t sure if it’ll work on American witches. Apparently, there is a difference. I always thought a witch was a witch.” Derek tilted his head back and closed his eyes. “I believe the twelve kids were a ritual.”

Jackson raised his head and gazed at Derek. “What makes you say that?”

Derek shook his head and stood. He picked up Jackson, who only ‘mm’d’ in protest. His head fell to Derek’s shoulder as his arms slid around him. Derek glanced at Tsuki and the demon waved them on, saying he would turn off the lights and lock up when he left. Shaking his head, Derek took Jackson upstairs to his room.

As he went to leave, Jackson’s hand shot out and pulled him onto the bed. Derek didn’t dare move as Jackson nuzzled into his throat, a soft hand running across his chest. He wasn’t sure if Jackson had been drinking or if someone had spiked his tea, but he never thought that Jackson would act like this. He had no idea what a shifter’s metabolism was like, either. Would alcohol and drugs affect them?

After taking in his scent for a few minutes, Jackson finally lowered his head to Derek’s chest. Derek stared at the scars on his neck, softly running his fingertips over them. He felt Jackson smile. He had no idea what to do about the bond, though. It was fairly weak, so it should be easy enough to ignore. It was even easier now that Jackson wasn’t a werewolf.

When he was certain that Jackson was asleep, Derek tried to slip out from under him. The moment he twitched, Jackson raised his head and stared at him. His eyes glowed in the darkness, which made them seem eerie as they swirled. There was confusion in them, though. Derek kept his mind blank, not wanting to give Jackson a reason to attack him. He could smell something strange in Jackson’s scent and it wasn’t something he was expecting.

“You said you would never leave me,” Jackson whispered and lowered his eyes.

“I’m not leaving, Jackson. I’m just going to my room.” Derek watched Jackson’s eyes, waiting for him to ask him to stay. He didn’t want to overstep a boundary, especially since Jackson had asked about breaking the bond they had.

Jackson raised his eyes and nodded, moving back. “Sorry.”

Derek didn’t move. “Did you want me to stay?”

Jackson shook his head. “No.” Lie. “Others already think we’re mates.” True. “We probably shouldn’t give them something more to talk about.” Lie.

Derek placed his hand on the back of Jackson’s neck and pulled his head down. “You still can’t lie to a werewolf, Jackson,” he murmured. “Tell me what you want.” He changed their positions and unzipped the hoodie that Jackson wore.

He glanced down and saw that Jackson’s eyes had widened. His pupils were starting to dilate, so Derek decided to take advantage of the situation. He would be damned if anything was going to stop them this time. He placed his lips to the hollow at the base of Jackson’s throat and inhaled deeply, closing his eyes and memorizing his scent. It was sweet, almost like honey with a dash of vanilla and rose. There was also something refreshing, which Derek assumed was the magic that ran through his veins.

Jackson’s breath hitched and Derek raised his eyes. He saw the perplexity in Jackson’s eyes and pulled back, frowning. That’s when he caught the scent of fear. “I’m sorry, Jackson. I thought that’s what you wanted.”

Jackson swallowed and sat up, keeping his head down and blocking off his throat. “I don’t think I can submit to you, Derek,” he finally said softly and raised his eyes.

Derek smiled and reached forward, cupping Jackson’s face. “You don’t _want_ to submit to me, Jackson. There’s a difference. You don’t want to be weak now that you’re stronger than me. You do realize that if you become my mate, it will make you my equal, right?”

Jackson lowered his eyes for a moment. “I’m new to this, Derek,” he said and Derek felt the shame at not knowing what he wanted.

“Being a wolf-shifter doesn’t give you all the answers, Jackson,” Derek whispered and placed his forehead to Jackson’s. “Are you nervous about being with a man?”

Derek could feel the heat from Jackson’s blush and chuckled. Jackson huffed and lowered his head, allowing Derek the opportunity to kiss the top of his head. His eyes widened as Jackson pushed him back and inhaled his scent. Derek kept his head still when Jackson licked his throat. He pushed the hoodie off Jackson’s shoulders and the shifter removed it completely, throwing it to the side.

He ran his hands down Jackson’s back, closing his eyes. Jackson was a little too thin for his liking at the moment, but that back was beautiful. He loved the way it dipped and arched and he was certain that Jackson was more flexible than he liked others to know. He inhaled sharply when he felt Jackson’s hand between his legs.

Jackson’s eyes flicked to his and Derek saw mischief in the swirling depths. Derek froze when Jackson undid his jeans. He grabbed Jackson’s hands and rolled them over, pinning him to the bed. He grinded his hips to Jackson’s, loving the way the shifter gasped and ran a leg up his, before they hooked and he leaned up. Derek turned his head from Jackson.

Derek pursed his lips as his back met a wall. “You have no idea what you want, either,” Jackson said as he grabbed his hoodie and pulled it on. “If you just want my body, then fuck me and get it over and done with.”

“Where are you going?” Derek asked as he stood and did up his jeans.

“Out for a run. Apparently, that’s the only way to work out sexual frustration around here.” Jackson pulled open the door and paused. “Oh and for the record, you’re not my first guy.”

Derek didn’t bother to stop him. He ran his hands through his hair and groaned.  He honestly had no idea why he was trying to postpone mating with Jackson. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that he was a wolf-shifter and things were different. He knew it was because Jackson wouldn’t submit to him. He sighed and sat on the bed. Eventually, he would force Jackson into being his mate from insanity. Unfortunately, that would push Jackson away from him forever and he would have a very lonely existence.

“I can’t believe you’re cock-blocking yourself,” Peter said as he stood in the doorway.

Derek sighed and lowered his head. “When he was a human, I wanted nothing more than to force him into submission. When he became a werewolf, I wanted nothing more than to claim him. Now that he’s willing to become my mate, I can’t bring myself to do it.” He raised his head and stared at his uncle. “Do you know why that is?”

“You’re not immortal,” Peter answered and rested his shoulder against the frame. “You know you’ll age and die, while he’ll remain youthful and probably start to resent the fact that he’s bonded to you until you die.” There was a slight pause. “Do you even love him?”

Derek stared at Peter. It did feel good to have Jackson by his side, when they were with the pack. It felt even better to have the shifter beneath him in the bedroom. He had no idea if that was love. How could anyone know if they loved someone?

Peter snickered. “I know you love him, nephew. I could see it in your eyes when you killed him. That’s why I helped you with it, because I figured you wouldn’t want to do it.” He shrugged and pushed off the frame. “He’s admitted that he loves you and wants to be your mate. Stop being a bitch and claim him. Your scent is fading fast on him.”

“The coven is more important right now,” Derek said and stood. “I’m heading to bed. If Mark shows up while I’m asleep, let me know. He’s working on a theory.”

Peter cocked an eyebrow. “I can read your mind, nephew. I know exactly what you’re thinking of and it has nothing to do with the coven.” He hesitated and Derek studied him. “Tsuki is bringing in a pack of snow wolves. If you don’t claim him, he will order Jackson to join them.”

Derek nodded and went through the bathroom to his bedroom. If it came down to it and he found that he couldn’t accept a wolf-shifter as his mate, he would happily see Jackson off with the snow wolves. He really didn’t care how much it killed him. Jackson’s happiness was more important. Besides, the coven was the main focus of his mind. He needed to know if the burning would work or else they were screwed until the leader showed up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the comments and the kudos! I hope this chapter was to your liking and the next one will be out shortly! Sometime over the weekend, when I get a break from helping out a mate with moving.  
> Until the next one, my lovelies!  
> Peace.
> 
> Auska.


	10. Chapter X

**~Dying Angel Style~**

**By:** Aerys Krystie.

oOo 

“You did that on purpose!”

“Prove it!”

Knowing it wouldn’t do any good, Derek heaved a sigh as Jackson and Peter glared at each other. Boyd, Erica and Isaac already had their asses handed to them at the hands of Jackson, so Derek decided he could train with Peter. That had seemed like a great idea, until Jackson got angry and did everything he could to cause pain to Peter.

Before Derek could scold him, Vincent snapped out Jackson’s name. The snow wolf glared at the dragon. Vincent said nothing more, but Jackson ended up hanging his head and glowering at the ground. The pup finally raised his head and turned his back to group, walking off into the woods. Derek shook his head, calling training to an end.

Scott cocked an eyebrow and shrugged. Derek stared at him, deciding he wasn’t allowed a say on the matter. Scott had flat out refused to train against Jackson as he found it to be unfair for a werewolf to go against a wolf-shifter. Boyd and Erica agreed with him, but they couldn’t deny Derek any command and they were a little pouty about the issue.

Derek grabbed the bag that held the witch’s jaw and threw it at Scott, telling everyone to get familiar with the scent. The werewolves already looked sick before the bag was opened. The moment it was untied, Erica and Isaac were running to throw up behind trees and Derek followed Jackson. He needed to know what was angering his pack member.

He was use to Jackson being angry about the fact that the others had more training than him. Jackson detested being the one on his back, especially when Erica would laugh at him. However, he had shown no mercy on them when they were paired against him. He had gone easy on Isaac, but that was probably because they were friends. Jackson had all but ripped Boyd’s arm off and beaten him with it. Erica received a broken arm and rib. They were healed and refused to be Jackson’s training partner ever again.

Derek found Jackson in the clearing that Tsuki created. Jackson’s head tilted up a little and Derek knew the shifter had caught his scent. Derek frowned and looked up when the sun was blocked out. Snow clouds had come in from nowhere. In minutes, a thick blanket was covering the ground and Jackson shifted into his animal form. He almost completely blended in with the snow and Derek looked around, deciding that Jackson was going to exact some revenge on him for stopping their little act the previous night.

He strained his eyes to see through the snow and tried to hear any sound from Jackson. He ducked when Jackson jumped at him from the right. He had no idea if he wanted to hurt Jackson when he was in his animal form. He didn’t want to be known as the bastard that would kick the shit out of an animal. He knew exactly how bad that would end. On the plus side, at least he now knew that Jackson could control the weather.

There was a bite on his left shoulder and Derek cursed, removing his jacket before it was completely destroyed. His shirt was ripped from his body and Derek cocked an eyebrow, smirking. Jackson was faster than he gave the boy credit for. He turned a slow circle, trying to find the wolf through the blinding whiteness. He frowned, squinting at a shape to his right. His eyes widened when he was tackled from behind.

Derek turned around, staring at the clouds. He blinked the snow out of his eyes and got to his feet. He grabbed Jackson around the waist when the shifter ran at him from the left. He had no idea when Jackson shifted back into a human, but he looked stunning in the snow with his eyes. Derek smirked, brushing a few flakes from his hair and leaning down.

“I should’ve known Jackson was the cause of the freak storm in the middle of spring.”

Derek sighed and pulled away from Jackson, turning to glare at Peter. The fire wolf grinned at him and it took everything that Derek had not to rip his throat out. Before he could tell Peter to get lost, Scott and Stiles showed up. Stiles’ eyes lit up at the snow and he ran into it, flopping to the ground and making a snow angel. Isaac wasn’t far behind Scott and Derek shook his head, allowing them to have fun.

With another sigh, Derek turned to Jackson. “When did you learn that you could control the weather?” he asked as he grabbed his jacket and stared at the hole in the left shoulder.

Jackson waved his hand and the hole mended. “It was something that I just knew I could do,” he said offhandedly, as though everyone could create snow and change the weather in a certain section of the town.

Derek went to kiss Jackson’s bare shoulder when a tunnel of fire shot past him. Jackson raised a hand and used the snow to stop the fire. He turned on Peter and his eyes went white. Derek stood in front of Jackson, not wanting to bury another family member. He also knew that Peter was going to fuck with Jackson as much as possible since they were basically opposites.

Jackson shook his head and the snow fell harder. In moments, no one could see a foot in front of them and Derek got the feeling that Jackson had left them. That was made clear when the snow stopped and he was nowhere to be seen. Derek lowered his eyes and pulled on his jacket, heading back to the house while the others played with the snow. He kept forgetting how young they were.

It wasn’t surprising to see that Jackson was back before him. What made Derek raise an eyebrow was that Jackson was in his animal form and Mark had gone full alpha on him. Jackson lowered his head and snarled, his hackles going up. Mark roared and charged at him. Jackson met him halfway and slammed the side of his body against Mark’s legs. When the alpha landed, Jackson stood over him, mouth around his throat.

Mark cleared his throat and pushed back his wolf. Jackson stepped back and shifted back into a human. He grinned and held his hand out to Mark. The Doyle chuckled and accepted the hand up. Jackson led him into the house, completely ignoring the fact that Derek was there and watched their sorry excuse of a fight. Derek took comfort in the fact that he lasted longer against Jackson and that was when he was running on instinct.

Derek followed them into the house and to the kitchen. “So did it work?” Jackson asked as he handed a cup of coffee to Mark.

The alpha smiled his thanks and sipped the drink. “Well, yes and no. It killed the witch, but now that we know how to do that, the coven has destroyed the headstones so we don’t know what graves to use. Liam’s brother managed to get the plans from a caretaker.” He pulled out a folded piece of paper and beckoned Derek over to join them.

Derek looked at the cemetery plan and found that Mark or Liam’s brother had marked the graves that were a century old. He looked at Mark. They all knew what the witches smelled like now. One whiff was all it took to never forget. Still, it was interesting that Jackson was taking such an interest in this. With the power a shifter had, Jackson could probably obliterate the coven without breaking a sweat. On the other hand, Jackson might be trying to keep a low profile.

“So there are only two, century old graves here?” Derek inquired as he looked at the circled graves on the map. “And I’m guessing we’re not allowed to reuse a grave or put more than one in there?”

Mark pursed his lips apologetically. “Yeah. I don’t know why that is, but it just doesn’t work. One witch per grave.”

“That doesn’t seem too bad.” Jackson shrugged when the alphas stared at him like he was insane. “All I’m saying is that there are three shifters here. Two wolves and a dragon. Then there’s the demon.”

Derek shook his head. “The dragon-shifter isn’t part of my pack. He might help if you ask, but I’m pretty sure I can use you and Peter.” He lowered his eyes when Jackson raised an eyebrow. “I can ask Stiles if he can get the maps of the other cemeteries.”

As he left, he heard Jackson and Mark talking about different plans. Derek tried not to growl when Mark suggested that Jackson take on the coven alone, maybe take some back up in the form of a freaking dragon-shifter. Derek knew that he could trust Jackson not to try anything stupid, especially since it would put the pack in danger.

The Sheriff’s car pulled up, followed by Christ Argent and Derek shifted. He howled, calling back his pack along with Scott and Stiles. Derek shifted back and gazed at the two men in front of him. He wasn’t sure if he liked how popular the house was becoming. John Stilinski nodded at Derek as he stepped onto the porch. Derek was going to tell them to back off, but Vincent showed up and invited them in happily.

Derek shook his head and decided not to say anything. Chris was a hunter and could likely help in the way of finding and burning them. John was probably there to find about the dead children. Derek wasn’t sure how much help they could be. Knowing that they were a ritual probably wouldn’t help too much or ease any of the tension.

Derek’s pack came running in, still shaking the snow from their bodies and clothing, grinning and chatting as though they never had that much fun. Chris just stared at them with a raised eyebrow, deciding he didn’t want to know how they were covered in snow.

“Hey!” Jackson greeted and Derek could hear the grin in his voice. “This is Mark Doyle. He’s helping us with our witch problem.”

“Well, that’s why I’m here,” Chris said and Derek heard the map moving. “I wasn’t sure that it was witches, being that the body was burned.”

“Had to make sure that it actually worked,” Mark said huffily. “Can’t exactly test a theory without the test part. Now we know that it does actually kill them, we’re good to go.”

“Are there any copies of cemetery headstone arrangements in the records of city hall?” Stiles asked and Derek could basically imagine his head tilted as he thought. “Is it weird that we have three cemeteries?”

Derek rolled his eyes at the question and went back into the house. He stood in the entrance to the kitchen, watching as Jackson and Vincent created drinks for their guests. Derek watched the way Jackson’s eyes sparkled. It was odd to see him happy about being around people he otherwise couldn’t stand, at least last year he couldn’t.

This time, Jackson seemed more interested in ignoring Derek. He left it to Vincent to offer him a drink, which Derek declined. He hadn’t really trained that hard and water from the tap was more than enough. If he really felt like getting fancy, he could make a cup of tea, just to show the shifters how it was done.

“So… Do these witches have anything to do with the twelve kids that were murdered?” John inquired, sipping his coffee and looking around. Vincent answered him and then told him to make the calls about the graveyard maps.

Derek narrowed his eyes when saw Jackson’s hand brush against Mark’s. It could have been an accident, but he would rather not have any strange scents on Jackson. He was the one that had to inhale him more often than the others and he liked how Jackson smelled. Derek turned away from them and focused on Stiles and his father.

Stiles was waiting for John to finish up on some calls about the cemetery plans. Scott and Chris were talking about a plan of action, while Isaac, Jackson and Mark joined them. Derek, Erica and Boy were the only ones not contributing to any conversation. That worked fine for Derek. He was seconds from ripping Mark’s hand off his body if he didn’t remove it from Jackson’s shoulder as he leaned down slightly.

Derek forced his wolf back, knowing it would only cause more problems. He wanted nothing more than to let the alpha out and tear Mark’s throat out with his teeth. Some of the others might have an issue with that. Jackson laughed and Derek saw red. He pushed himself between Mark and Jackson, noticing the way everyone looked at him. Thankfully, none of them were stupid enough to say anything.

Jackson glanced up at Chris, chewing his lower lip before he looked around Derek and at Mark. “Do we know what the ritual was for? Did they do it to get more power or something?”

Mark rested his hip against the table and grinned. “More power is usually a safe bet. Innocent blood boosts their magic and spells. If they want Derek and me to fight, they’ll make a hate spell and put it into motion by using the blood.” He sighed and appeared ill. “The things they do are disgusting.”

“That’s why we’re taking them out,” Chris stated and pulled out a machete. Jackson raised an eyebrow and reached for it. “That’s silver, kid.”

Jackson grinned. “Not a werewolf, grandpa.” He took hold of the weapon and ran his fingers along the blade. “You could stand to sharpen this a little more.”

“I’ll look into it.” Chris narrowed his eyes and took back the knife. “Are there any herbs that work great against evil bitches?”

Mark smirked and shrugged. “We could use a couple of cocks.” He laughed when he saw the raised eyebrows and confusion. “Roosters are said to scare witches,” he clarified. “There’s also salt and my personal favorite – a wolf’s head.” He stared pointedly at Jackson for that the last one.

Jackson narrowed his eyes and rolled his shoulders. Derek placed a hand on his lower back. _He’s only playing with you, Jackson,_ he murmured mentally, but found he liked the slight pout on Jackson’s lips with a joke at his expense. Derek gently massaged the area and glanced at the Sheriff when he hung up and said that he was going to get the maps of the other two cemeteries. Stiles and Scott asked for a lift back with him, saying that they would look into witches.

Erica and Boyd asked to keep an eye on the witches and Derek nodded. Mark said that he could use some help in the hunting division, which Chris agreed to help with. Derek noticed the spark of disappointment in Mark’s eyes when he offered. That left Isaac, Jackson, Peter and him in the house. He was sure they could find something to do, especially with all the books around.

Jackson offered to look up any way of taking out witches if there weren’t enough graves. He went down to the basement, where the books were held. Isaac offered to help him and Derek knew he should pull his weight when it came to that, as well. However, he would much prefer to do the research with Jackson, but he wasn’t about to make Isaac feel like he was unwanted.

Derek followed the other two down to the basement. He raised an eyebrow when he saw books hovering in the air, moving around and the way that Jackson would glance at them before he waved a hand and they returned to a shelf. Isaac was sitting on the floor, watching the tomes move around for a little, before saying he had better things to do. He left the basement and Derek caught a glimpse of Jackson’s eyes. He thought they were white when Jackson used his magic. At the moment, they were like pools of mercury.

“Look through those books,” Jackson said and pointed to a small pile beside him.

Derek narrowed his eyes at the tone Jackson had taken with him. He went over to the pile and picked up the first book. He sighed. “This is written in Greek,” he stated.

Jackson glanced at him and shook his head. “Vincent can read Greek and so can I. Do you know any language, other than English and bad English?”

“I know a little Russian,” Derek admitted with a slight shrug.

Jackson shook his head. “Just stick to the English books. I don’t need you attempting to translate something and giving us the wrong information.” The pile separated and two books hovered in front of Derek. “You can start with those.”

Taking the books, Derek sat down. He gazed at Jackson thoughtfully. “What languages do you know now?”

Jackson shrugged. “Just a few, thanks to Vincent. He instilled his knowledge of the languages into me so we could talk without having people eavesdrop on us.”

“Hm.” Derek opened the first book and flipped through the pages. It mentioned the wolf’s head again, but he figured it would best not to say that out loud. He didn’t want Jackson to attack him for making an offhanded remark. “What languages do you know?”

Jackson sighed. “French, Russian, Greek, Romanian, Italian, German, Chinese and Indonesian. Are you happy now?”

“Vincent taught you all of those?”

“I already knew French and Italian.” Jackson lowered his eyes and Derek stood when he smelled the pathetic scent of sadness. “My parents wanted me to learn at least three other languages. I was in the process of learning Chinese when the bite happened.”

Derek bit the inside of his lower lip. “What were you planning on doing when you graduated?”

Jackson shrugged and turned his back to Derek, continuing to look through the books. Derek decided not to push the issue. Clearly knowing that he couldn’t return to his family was something that hurt Jackson. Derek had no idea what to do about that, since his remaining family was an insane uncle that sold his soul to become a wolf-shifter for more power.

Shaking his head, Derek sat down and flipped through the book. He picked up the little sticky strips and placed them on pages that might help them. He was thankful that salt seemed to be the more common seasoning against witches. He saw something about vervain and decided it couldn’t hurt to look into it, so he made a note.

The books that were in the air dropped suddenly and Derek looked up. Jackson was on his hands and knees, shivering. Putting the book to the side, Derek got to his feet and got on a knee before Jackson, asking if he was all right. True to his normal self, Jackson nodded. Derek didn’t believe him for a moment, but it took Vincent showing up for Jackson to stop the shivering.

“I keep telling you that you can’t skip meals, Jax.” Vincent pulled Jackson to his feet.

Derek frowned at the nickname. There were times he wanted to call Jackson that, but he got the feeling that Jackson would attempt to gut him on the spot. However, it was completely different for Vincent as he was a dragon-shifter. Still, it was a chore to fight back the jealousy as Jackson whined and clung to Vincent like he was a saving grace.

There wasn’t anything he could do about it. Vincent had been there for Jackson more than he had. Derek knew why that was. He wasn’t ready to get attached to someone, only to have them ripped from his life. Since Jackson was a wolf-shifter now, it probably wouldn’t happen, but there were some things he wasn’t going to risk. If he was lucky, Jackson would hang around and wait for him. That would almost seem plausible, if Jackson wasn’t such an impatient personality.

Knowing there wasn’t anything he could do to help Jackson, Derek sat down in the chair again and opened the book to the last sticky note. He scanned through the words, trying to remember what herbs were easily accessible and what ones would take time to get there. He really wished there was a decent manual around for killing witches. Even he knew the myth about witches and water was just a myth, but someone decided it was worth seriously looking into.

Having finished going through that book, Derek picked up the other one that was in English. He glanced at the one that was in Russian. He was starting to understand why Vincent constantly reminded him that shifters were better. Jackson had learned six languages in the course of six days. Vincent was over a thousand years old and clearly had nothing better to do with his time than learn languages, even if he was taking eight hundred year long naps.

He shook his head. There was no point in crying over spilt milk. He picked up the English book and scanned the words, seeing that it was most of the same shit. There was something about valerian root, which was a common substance. If that actually worked, it would make this whole thing a lot easier. He had no idea how they were going to test any of these, though. They would need a live witch, but Mark had no intention on keeping one alive long enough to have these theories tested, especially knowing that his theory worked.

After reading that book, Derek picked up the other and headed upstairs. He found Jackson and Vincent in the kitchen. Jackson was still trembling from the loss of energy, but he got to his feet when Derek entered. Derek told him to sit and Jackson did so, gratefully sinking into the chair and closing his eyes. He sipped at his tea and Derek sat opposite him, pushing the books towards his omega.

Jackson opened his eyes to slivers and glared at Derek. He felt Jackson slip into his mind and forcefully pushed him out. Jackson blinked and sat up straighter, staring at Derek with confusion. Peter had taught him a few things when it came to dealing with wolf-shifters. Jackson tilted his head and pushed into Derek’s mind again. When Derek forced him out again, Jackson’s head snapped back and he toppled backwards, crashing to the floor and panting with pain.

“No more cheating, Jackson. If I give you something to read, you read it.” Derek stood and looked down at Jackson. The shifter’s eyes were bloodshot and a thin line of red was leaving each one. Jackson nodded slowly, swallowing several times before he attempted to move. “I need you to go over these with Isaac. Work through the pain, if you have to.”

When Derek turned away from Jackson, he was met by Vincent’s fist. He was knocked over the table and imprinted in the wall. Vincent stepped up to Derek, eyes narrowed, but not swirling. “If you ever poison him again, I will show you how much I care about my wards.”

“I didn’t poison him. I just wanted him out of my head.” Derek pulled himself out of the wall. “If he’s part of my pack, he needs to know that he’s like the rest of us.”

“But he isn’t like the rest of you, idiot. He’s far superior and he doesn’t need to read in order to know what you know.” Vincent wrapped a hand around Derek’s throat, not surprised when he was knocked back by a gale of wind.

“He doesn’t know any better, Vincent. Don’t punish him for being ignorant.” Jackson swayed and fell to his knees. His arms hooked onto the edge of the table and more blood trickled from his eyes.

Derek wasn’t sure if he was insulted or not with what Jackson was saying about him. However, he did feel like a dick for poisoning Jackson’s mind. Peter never said that would happen, but Peter really didn’t like Jackson since he was a wolf-shifter and could kill him. Derek went to place a hand on Jackson’s shoulder. The shifter flinched and shied away from the contact.

With energy he didn’t have, Jackson stood and picked up the books. He left the kitchen and Derek heard him go into the living room. Isaac asked Jackson if he was okay and Jackson said he was. One good thing came about from that: Derek realized how it was that Jackson could hide the werewolf pneumonia and the changes from him. He never realized just how cruel he was to Jackson, but he figured that Jackson could handle it.

Vincent ran a hand through his hair and shook his head. “I really don’t know what he sees in you. You’re the most idiotic alpha I’ve ever met. And I’ve seen my fair share of moronic werewolves.” He sighed. “If you don’t stop treating him like he’s a nuisance, I will take him away.”

Derek cocked an eyebrow. “Really? I would like to see you try. He’s chosen me as his alpha,” he stated flatly.

“That’s because he has a choice of you or Mark Doyle. He knows the shady business that Mark’s into, but he’s so blinded by his feelings for you that he doesn’t see just how much of a joke you are.” Vincent’s tone was just flat, as though everything he said was factual. “I don’t care if he has chosen you for now. Once he meets a _real_ alpha, he’ll drop you faster than a bad date.”

Derek shook his head. He really had no idea why he was still in the kitchen, listening to Vincent. The dragon-shifter had made it clear from the first day that he didn’t like Derek. Yet he was always stating how bad he was at being an alpha, even for a werewolf. Derek never understood why Vincent felt the need to point out all of his flaws. He was doing the best he could with what he had.

Considering he had three betas that were nearly seventeen, he figured he was doing rather well. It didn’t matter that two of those betas were getting ready to leave him, if they could find the right time to tell him. It didn’t matter that his first bite turned into a murdering lizard, then a werewolf and finally a wolf-shifter. It didn’t matter that his uncle had murdered his sister and he in turn had murdered his uncle, only for him to come back from the dead.

Derek frowned. When it was listed like that, he could see why someone would think he’s a shitty alpha. He figured he was never cut out to be an alpha, but that didn’t stop him. He lowered his eyes and sat in the chair Jackson was in. He gazed at the tea that was still on the table, unsure of what to do about his problems. He couldn’t show that he had any. He had no idea if the coven would prey on his weaknesses, even if he had few of them.

He blinked and looked up, gazing at Tsuki blankly. The demon wasn’t paying attention to him. He was talking to Vincent in a language that Derek guessed was Japanese. Vincent’s brows furrowed slightly, but he nodded and walked out of the kitchen. Tsuki gazed at Derek, tilting his head as his eyes moved over Derek’s form. He said nothing and walked out of the room, as well. Derek sighed and rubbed his neck, thinking about the coven.

None of them knew how many graves they had that could be used. He wasn’t sure if there would be more than a handful. Derek stood and went out to the porch. He looked around, watching as the trees swayed in the breeze. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, loving the smell of the woods. He even caught the hint of fresh snow from Jackson’s little flurry. It was always fresh and soothing. His eyes flew open when he caught the scent of the witches.

He scanned the trees in front of him, but there was nothing there. He inhaled again and could still smell them. He looked around for the jaw and found it in the bag, tied tightly and inside another bag. Clearly, the others did not enjoy the smell that came from the jaw. He strained his ears, trying to pick up a sound that wasn’t natural. He frowned when he realized what was wrong. It was deathly silent. There were no bugs, birds or animals around.

“It is like the calm before the storm.”

Derek jumped at the sudden voice and glared at Tsuki. The demon ignored him and focused on a point on the horizon. Derek followed his gaze, but he couldn’t see anything that would cause alarm. Of course, he wasn’t aware of how strong a demon’s eyesight was. In fact, he didn’t know squat about demons or what they were capable of. He knew that they could turn a werewolf into a wolf-shifter, even if it was as painful as possible.

“You would know about the storm. Is this your way of warning me?” Derek rested against the pole holding up the roof, watching the leaves dance.

“I am helping you as much as I can without holding a current contract.” Tsuki blinked and turned his eyes to Derek. “I do not need to be here.”

“Yeah, you do,” Derek stated and ignored the gaze. “You can’t help it. You’re keeping an eye on Jackson, because he has supposedly attracted something evil.” He frowned and looked at his right wrist, remembering when Jackson crushed it a couple of days ago. “Are you able to possess someone?”

“Possession is…archaic, though achievable.”

Derek nodded slowly. “Did you possess Jackson a day or two ago? He kinda flipped out on me and broke my wrist, for the fun factor.” He glanced at Tsuki for a moment, before he looked at the trees again.

“I do not possess anyone,” Tsuki stated and Derek listened to his heart. Oddly enough, there was hardly anything that made it increase in beats. Derek could never tell if he was lying or not. “It was not I that possessed Jackson that day. It was my older brother. He has been…dealt with.”

The serenity that surrounded Tsuki made Derek tense. He couldn’t even begin to think about saying something like that about a sibling. Of course, Derek had never met Tsuki’s brother and was grateful that he didn’t have to deal with him anymore. Still, it chilled him to the core to hear Tsuki talk about dealing with someone like they were nothing, despite the blood ties they had.

Derek lowered his eyes. “Are we going to win against this coven?” He wasn’t sure if he was going to be told the future or if he even wanted to know what the future was.

Tsuki raised his hand and Derek watched as a crystal ball rolled over it. It was oddly captivating to see the ball roll from the back of the hand to the palm. “Are you sure you want to know the outcome of this small battle?”

“Twelve kids are dead. I don’t think it’s that small, anymore.” His eyes continued to follow the crystal ball. He caught Tsuki’s wrist and the ball rested on the tip of his middle finger. “Who do you think you are, David Bowie?”

Derek frowned when saw images in the ball. He leaned in closer, watching different scenes playing out. He glared at Tsuki when he saw himself and Jackson from the previous night. He saw Boyd and Erica walking through the streets of the town, stopping every so often to mark it off on a map when they caught the scent of a witch. He saw Chris and Mark at Chris’s place, talking and scheming. John, Scott and Stiles were going over the cemetery maps and circling the hundred year old graves.

The ball suddenly turned into a white dove and flew away. Derek blinked and watched as it flew towards to the trees. It suddenly dropped from the air, dead. He looked at Tsuki and saw the sorrow deepen on the demon’s face. He walked down the stairs and picked up the corpse, kissing the head and the cooing started. Tsuki turned around and walked back up the stairs. He placed the dove on the railing and it sat there happily.

“What killed it?” Derek asked and again, wasn’t sure if he wanted to know the answer.

“Black magic usually destroys symbols,” Tsuki explained as he ran a finger down the back of the dove. He picked up the bird and held it out to Derek. “Sniff it.”

Derek raised an eyebrow, curious on how many conversations could start with an order like that. He did, however, sniff at the dove. He frowned and nuzzled at its neck gently. It smelled fresh and clean, like a waterfall surrounded by cherry blossoms. That was the image that popped into his head and he figured that was because of Tsuki’s name.

“Now, go to where I revived him.” Tsuki pulled the dove back, murmuring to it softly.

Derek said nothing and went to the area. Before he was even close, he caught the acrid stench that brought up an image of corpses used as a wall. He tried to push the scent out of his nose, shaking his head and stepping back. He had no idea how he hadn’t noticed the smell before. It was like the odor of the jaw, except that was much worse. The black magic was just a residual affect, but the point was made. They knew where he was.

He joined Tsuki on the porch, listing to the dove coo. “Do you happen to know what the best way to remove a coven is? Preferably a way that doesn’t include scattering around the country, hunting down the leader.”

“Did you know that innocence is sometimes described as the act of having guilt?”

Derek frowned, unsure of how to even approach something like that. He wasn’t sure what it had to do with his question, but something told him that Tsuki didn’t speak for the sake of speaking. He thought about the words, eyes dropping to the dove. He had never heard of innocence described that way. On the other hand, he wasn’t nearly as old as Tsuki, either.

“Nearly everyone has guilt over something. Does that mean that nearly everyone is innocent?”

Tsuki chuckled softly. “Most people are guilty about the fact they were caught. I meant those that show guilt for something they could not control.”

“You could’ve been a little clearer on that,” Derek snapped and sighed. He glanced over his shoulder. “You’re talking about Jackson, aren’t you?”

“I was talking about you,” Tsuki responded immediately. “Yes, Jackson is innocent, but he is not the alpha of this pack.” The demon gasped quietly. He closed his eyes and Derek’s head snapped when there was a scream of terror and agony. “Your uncle is rather good with his mind games.”

Derek stared at the ceiling of the porch, hearing Peter whimper. “What the hell did you do to him?”

“I reminded him of his place. I also happen to know what he has planned.” Tsuki opened his eyes, gazing at the dove. “These witches are after you and your pack, simply because they can smell the guilt, which is almost like an aphrodisiac to them.”

Derek fought off the images that those words conjured. He wasn’t going to think about what they could do to him, while they were drunk off his guilt. “Why did they kill the kids, then?”

“Do you know what innocence is?”

Derek groaned. “Someone that hasn’t broken a law or committed a sin,” he answered with a growl.

“Yes, that is correct. Perhaps I should have inquired if you know what true innocence is.” Tsuki tilted his head as he looked up at Derek. “True innocence is selflessness.”

Derek frowned for a moment. He couldn’t believe that was true innocence. It sounded so – so easy. Yet when he thought about it, he realized just how difficult it would be for some people. He remembered how Jackson had given up his life so he couldn’t continue to harm people. He thought about how Stiles always put everyone first. He knew he had to protect those two from the coven.

“Wow. I’m tainted.”

“You are not beyond saving.”

Derek shook his head. “I know you’re meant to be a demon, but I doubt even you could know that.”

Tsuki turned his eyes to the front door. “You know how they say that animals can sense something about what a person is truly like?” Derek nodded. “When you confessed to Jackson that you did not want to die, he knew you were telling the truth. He saw something in you. He saw your demons.”

Derek winced and turned away from the demon. “That’s why he didn’t kill me? He wanted me to save myself from the hell I’m in?” He shook his head.

“He is helping you the only way he knows how.”

Derek wasn’t sure if he liked the fact that his words were used against him. He had no idea how Jackson was helping and he was nearly certain he didn’t want to know. He wanted to know how to take out the coven. His thoughts came to a screeching halt as he thought about Tsuki’s first question about innocence. What did that have to do with the coven?

“What does my innocence have to do with the coven?”

Tsuki blinked and looked at Derek. The demon almost seemed confused on what Derek was talking about. It lasted half a second. “You asked me the best the way of taking out the coven that did not include scattering around the country to take down the leader. Salt will trap them, but it will not destroy them. There are not enough graves to burn them in.”

Derek raised an eyebrow. He was certain that Tsuki just told him in great length that they were fucked and that his blood had something to do with it. “You want me to sprinkle them with my blood?”

“You have a choice of three: You, Jackson and Stiles. All three can be used or you can just use your blood. It matters not how it is done.”

Derek growled in the back of his throat. Tsuki didn’t seem bothered by the sound. “It might not matter to you, but I count on those two. What use would they be to me if I drain their blood?” He stopped and closed his eyes. If he did that, he would never hear the end of Stiles calling him a vampire.

“You do not need to drain them completely. Ten milliliters of their blood would be enough to kill one witch,” Tsuki explained as he turned to look at the forest in front of the house.

Derek’s back straightened when he heard someone breathing. It sounded like someone had the worst chest infection known to man and they were wheezing. He followed Tsuki’s eyes and he narrowed his in return, glaring at the three hags that were standing just out of the tree line. Their skin was the color of old parchment, their eyes bloodshot and covered with dark circles. Their oily, matted hair fell in thick strings. They moved as though they were fighting rigor mortis.

Walking down the stairs, Derek flicked his hands and brought out his claws. They weren’t worth him going full alpha. He heard someone running through the house and glanced over his shoulder. Jackson ran out the door and leapt from the first step. He landed in front of Derek in his animal form. His head was down, hackles up and he snarled in way that was clearly not natural.

The center witch threw up her hand and a circle of mountain ash fell around Derek. Jackson jumped at her, jaws on her arm, which he ripped off easily. The other two turned on him and he let out a howl of pain that had Derek growling. How dare they force that noise out Jackson! He was going to murder them slowly.

Jackson was thrown to his feet and Derek stared down at the body. Jackson wasn’t breathing, but there was a faint heartbeat. Derek raised his eyes slowly, feeling the beast in him unleash. He howled and used Jackson’s tail to break the mountain ash circle. He was going to enjoy ripping them apart. His hand wrapped around the center witch’s throat, which he ripped out. He grabbed the one on his left and threw her into the one on the right.

After he tore the head from the center witch’s body, he turned to the others. He was more than disappointed to see that they had run off. He turned back to the house, just as Isaac came running out with Peter a step behind him. Derek ignored them and walked up to Jackson. He was breathing shallowly, whining and whimpering with pain. It was a heart wrenching sound to hear an animal in that amount of agony.

“Jackson,” Isaac called as he fell to his knees. “Come on, you can pull through this. Where the fuck is Vincent?”

“He would not be of any use,” Tsuki answered as he stood behind Isaac. “There is only one person that can help you when it comes to a witch’s magic.” Realization flooded through all of them and Tsuki nodded. “I suggest you leave now. Jackson will not survive much longer.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and the next one should be out shortly! Thanks for the kudos and the comments. Hope to hear from everyone soon!  
> Until the next one!  
> Peace.
> 
> Auska.


	11. Chapter XI

**~Dying Angel Style~**

**By:** Aerys Krystie.

oOo

Derek kicked open the door, readjusting his grip on Jackson. He let out a yelp of pain and Derek apologized to him. He was trying to make it as painless as possible, but there was only so much he could do. He shouted out that he had an emergency. He didn’t show his relief when Scott came out from the back. The other’s eyes widened when he realized that Derek had walked in there, carrying a wolf that was clearly too big to be a real animal.

There wasn’t anyone in the waiting room, so Derek really couldn’t care less. Stiles opened the gate to the back and Derek tenderly placed Jackson on the table. Deaton entered the room with Vincent behind him and Derek snarled, finding a way to blame it all on the dragon. He pinned Vincent against the wall, demanding to know where he was when the witches showed up.

Vincent easily shoved Derek back and told him to piss on someone else’s designer shoes. Deaton told them to take it outside or to shut up. Derek explained what happened and that he had no idea what actually happened. Deaton nodded every so often, running his hands through Jackson’s coat and trying to find something. Derek almost thought he was looking for ticks or fleas. At least, he would be if Jackson kept still and didn’t keep trying to bite him.

Deaton told Derek to restrain him and Derek had no idea what to do. He wasn’t going to strap Jackson down, especially since he was certain that the binds wouldn’t hold him for long. Derek caught Jackson’s snout when it moved to snap at Deaton again. The wolf whimpered and Derek wished there was something he could do. He tried to remove some of the pain, but stopped when Deaton told him not to; as he would absorb the poison that could quite easily kill him in small amounts.

Scott stood beside Derek, gazing down at Jackson. His eyes were pained as the whines and whimpers were getting worse. Jackson’s eyes were fighting to stay open. Derek scratched Jackson behind the ear, which didn’t seem to help any. Deaton moved the search to along Jackson’s spine and hummed as he picked up a pair of tweezers. Derek looked at the strand of hair that was black. His eyes widened as Deaton pulled it out and kept pulling. Jackson’s legs kicked and he yelped. He started to convulse as Deaton continued to pull out the string.

Derek placed his forehead to Jackson’s cheek and whispered to him, mostly because he couldn’t stand to see that being pulled out. Scott was ordered to shove an oxygen tube down Jackson’s throat and Derek was really thinking that someone experience should do that. Scott seemed to know exactly what he was doing, as the tube was down Jackson’s throat in seconds. Derek glanced at the bloody string that was still being pulled out of Jackson’s spine.

No one was sure how much time had passed before Deaton finally announced that he got it all. The string was put in a jar of alcohol and Derek looked at it. His eyes widened when he saw that the string had legs. Against his better judgment, he asked what it was and Deaton told him it was a mirrus bug. It was an insect that witches often used to infect those they couldn’t kill.

“Don’t worry. It wouldn’t have killed Jackson, but it would have made him take his own life,” Deaton concluded as he washed his hands.

Jackson shifted in his human form and shivered as he pulled the oxygen tube from his throat. He looked at his body and saw that he was naked. Frowning, he waved his hand along his body and he was dressed in an instant. He looked up at Derek and thanked him, doing the same to Deaton. The man just smiled and held up his arm where Jackson had snapped at him and broken the skin. Jackson flinched and lowered his eyes.

Derek shook his head and placed one of Jackson’s arms around his shoulders. He figured the wolf-shifter wouldn’t be too impressed if Derek carried him out, especially since he was human. It was a different matter if he was a wolf. Jackson slipped off the table and his legs gave out. Scott was on Jackson’s other side and together they got him out of the clinic and into Derek’s car. By that time, Jackson was asleep. Leaving him with Scott, Derek went back inside to make sure it was completely normal. When told that it was, Derek nodded and went back to the car.

“What happened?” Scott asked as he rested his arms on top of the car, gazing at Derek with curiosity.

“The witches paid me a visit. Jackson was attacked while defending me. I ripped the head off of one, but the other two got away. I left Tsuki with the body.” Derek looked at the streaks of blood that were on his hands and arms from the witch.

Scott sighed, drumming his fingers on the metal.  He slapped the roof and pushed away. “Do we know what we’re gonna do about this?”

Derek found it hard to meet Scott’s eyes. “I have an idea. I don’t know how well it’ll work, but at least I have something. Did you or the Energizer Bunny find out anything useful?”

“There are only four century old graves that we can use. We have no idea what to do with the other four witches. We learned that salt traps them, but we aren’t sure how long it’ll hold them.” Scott ran his hands through his hair and then lowered his eyes. “They know we have at least one wolf-shifter working with us.”

“We?” Derek repeated and smiled bitterly. “Jackson is part of _my_ pack, Scott. He’s working with me.”

“And he nearly died because of it,” Scott snapped and glared at Derek. The alpha cocked an eyebrow at Scott’s sudden defense of Jackson. “I don’t like seeing animals in pain, okay? The fact that he had that _thing_ in him was terrible. The fact it was in him because of you was even worse.”

Derek slipped into the car. He glanced at Jackson as he started the engine. He tore out of the parking lot and sped back to his house. When he came to a stop, Jackson’s chin was basically on his chest as some kind of black and purple muck trickled from his parted lips. Derek frowned, wondering if he should have left Jackson with Deaton overnight for observation.

The passenger door opened and Tsuki crouched down, tilting Jackson’s head back and holding his hand an inch from his mouth. Tsuki’s eyes flashed crimson as he pulled his hand away, drawing out the black-purple ooze. Jackson coughed and gagged, his shoulder pushing against the seat. Derek had no idea what was happening and knew he wouldn’t understand, even if it was explained. He just hoped that it worked and Jackson would finally be all right.

After a few minutes, Jackson suddenly gasped and his eyes flew open. He undid the seatbelt and leaned out the door, vomiting. Tsuki stepped back, the ball of black-purple goop hovering in his hand for a second, before it went up in flames and the ashes disappeared in the wind. Derek got out of the car and stood beside Tsuki, watching as Jackson threw up the orange juice he drank at some point.

“What did you just pull out of him?”

“The venom of the mirrus bug,” Tsuki answered. “I am surprised that Deaton did not make him drink pepper tea.”

“Pepper tea?” Derek repeated. He had heard a lot of simple remedies in his life, but that seemed to be the simplest.

“The mirrus bug thrives in cold blooded creatures: reptiles and snow shifters. The pepper warms the blood and kills the bug, as well as counteracting the venom.”

Derek stared at Tsuki, feeling his rage spiking with every word. “You knew _all_ of this and you still sent me to Deaton?” he demanded, glancing down at Jackson as he vomited again.

“I am not your personal vet, Derek. I sent you to the one person that could help you without the need of a contract. You know what to do for next time and it will become part of Stiles’ bestiary.” Tsuki looked down at Jackson, eyes soft with compassion. “I will make him some ginger tea. I assume you know that that is great for nausea.”

Derek growled and Tsuki walked off. He waited until Jackson stopped heaving and sidled up to him, pulling him from the car and carrying him inside. He would need a bucket, which he called out to Isaac to fetch as he took Jackson upstairs. Jackson mumbled something about the bathroom and that was where Derek took him. Jackson knelt in front of the toilet and threw up again.

As Jackson gasped for breath, Derek took in his scent. It was sickly. Jackson shivered, but Derek could see the sweat on his face. Isaac stood in the doorway to the en suite. He coughed and turned away, going to the bed. Derek flushed the toilet and picked up Jackson, taking him to the bed. Isaac tucked the covers around him and kissed his forehead, frowning and stepped back.

Tsuki entered the room, placing a steaming cup on the bedside chest. “What’s happening to him?” Isaac asked quietly, not taking his eyes from Jackson’s pale face.

“He has a fever from the mirrus bug. It happens to all shifters the first time they encounter the bug, as their immune system has no defense against it.” Tsuki reached a hand out to touch Jackson’s sweat soaked hair. He blinked when Derek blocked the path. “If he is strong, he will be fine in three days. If he has doubts, he will not survive five days,” he explained as he stepped back. “Keep his fluids up and make sure he gets plenty of garlic and ginseng.”

Derek nodded. He had no doubt that Vincent would take care of that, while he worked on destroying the witches for hurting Jackson so badly. He went downstairs, just as Mark and Chris entered the house. Mark covered his nose with his hand and took a step back, staring at Derek. He demanded to know what happened.

“Three witches showed up here. I need you burn the body that’s out there.” Mark nodded and left the house. Derek beckoned Chris into the kitchen. “Have you found their stronghold?”

“They’re spread out. We ran into your pups – Erica and Boyd. They witches have taken up residence in four corners of the town.” Chris pulled out a map of the town, spreading it over the table. “Scott told me that there isn’t really much that we can do kill them.”

“I had a demon tell me that innocent blood can kill them.”

Chris looked up and frowned. “They killed twelve kids for their blood. They drink that blood to boost their power. So how the hell could innocent blood kill them?”

“True innocence can kill them. Something tells me that the kids they killed were only innocent, in the sense that they hadn’t broken any laws or committed any sins.” Derek looked at the map. He frowned as he saw the circles of where the witches were. “Isn’t that the street that Stiles lives on?”

Chris shrugged. “I don’t really know much about that kid. I know that’s the street that Jackson used to live on. That’s the street where your loft is.” The human tilted his head, clearly seeing a pattern but not understanding what it was. “So who lives on this street?”

“You don’t recognize it? That’s the street that Scott lives on.” Derek frowned. Tsuki didn’t mention anything about Scott.

“Scott has that true innocence thing in his blood?”

“It isn’t him that they’re after. It’s his mother. The same with Stiles and Jackson.”

“But your parents are dead,” Chris said as he pulled out his cell phone. “Why are you they living on the same street as your loft?”

Derek lowered his eyes. He sighed and went upstairs. He could take care of himself, but he needed someone with Stiles and John to protect them, while Scott watched over his mother. He figured that Erica and Boyd could watch the Whitmore house. He found Isaac giving the tea to Jackson. The shifter wasn’t looking too good, but it was something he could worry about at another time.

“I need you to spend a few nights with Stiles and his father,” Derek said as he stood at the foot of the bed.

“What’s happening?” Isaac asked as he lowered Jackson’s head. “Did something bad happen?”

“It will, if we don’t protect them. Jackson is safe here, but Stiles and his dad aren’t without one of us around to protect them.”

Isaac nodded and stood, putting the cup on the bedside chest. Jackson opened his eyes. They were unfocused, glazed over and looked strange that way as they swirled. Derek gazed down at him for a moment and then left the room, closing the door. He would need to tell Peter about the mirrus bug and hope that he wouldn’t catch it.

Peter was in the kitchen with Chris. They were discussing the options of protection for the parents, but Derek had to question why Tsuki wouldn’t mention the parents. He watched them for a moment and left the house. He stood on the front porch, happy to see that the witch’s corpse was gone. The stench of her blood still lingered.

Stiles’ jeep pulled up. He jumped out with Scott and Allison with him. They nodded at him as they ran inside. Derek raised his hand and looked at it. He wasn’t sure if Scott’s mother could get the equipment they needed to draw blood, but he knew she would try her hardest. If all else failed, they could go to the hospital and have it drawn there.

The problem then fell to injecting it into the witches. He turned and went back to the kitchen. Scott and Stiles were worried about their parents, which was understandable. Derek watched Stiles and noticed that he was equally scared for Scott’s mother and Jackson’s adoptive parents. All Derek could think about was making the town safe. Isaac returned, saying that John was still at the station and relief flooded through Stiles.

Melissa was still at the hospital and Derek nodded. He turned his eyes to Allison. “How good are you with your bow?”

Allison shrugged. “As long as I’m not firing at a demon, I can hit the mark. Why, what do you have in mind for them?” She tilted her head.

Derek glanced at his hand and smirked. “Scott, how good is your mother at drawing blood?”

Scott raised an eyebrow, glancing at everyone. “She’s a nurse, so she’s pretty damn good at it. You really weren’t joking about that true innocence thing, were you?”

Derek shook his head. “Tsuki seemed adamant that it would work. For a demon I haven’t made a contract with, he’s quite helpful. We have ten witches left. Do you have an arrow that can inject a liquid into the target?”

Chris shrugged. “We can rig something up quickly. Come by the house after you’ve got the blood and we’ll test it. So make sure you have enough to spare.” Chris left the map and Allison kissed Scott before she followed her father.

Stiles looked around the kitchen. “Where’s Vincent?” There was a hint of worry in his voice.

Derek frowned. He hadn’t even noticed that the dragon was missing. He went upstairs and found that Jackson was alone. He checked Vincent’s room and saw that it was vacant. He went downstairs and checked the den and study. Vincent wasn’t anywhere in the house. The dragon had vanished from the clinic. Derek naturally assumed that he came back to the house.

“He isn’t here,” he said as returned to the kitchen.

“Well, I hope he isn’t with the witches,” Peter said as he sat down. He looked at Derek and smirked. “If he’s with them, we’re fucked.”

Stiles sighed and paced the length of the table. Derek slammed a hand on his chest to stop him. “What do you know about this?” he asked the human without taking his eyes from Peter.

“It’s a rumor that I found while looking for information on witches. Dragons are the most powerful creature when it comes to magic, because they’re dragons. They can also destroy a witch with their _mind_ and without any effort.”

Derek listened to that and liked that idea. It seemed like a good plan to unleash Vincent on them, since they had caused harm to his ward. Still, Vincent would probably blame Derek for that as it was partly his fault. However, looking at Stiles’ face told him that there was more to this ‘rumor’ that didn’t sit well with the human.

“What’s the drawback to unleashing Vincent on them?”

“It’s said that a witch can hypnotize a dragon with her gaze. If that happens, they’re rendered useless and the witch can cut out the dragon’s heart and feast on it, gaining the power and magic of the dragon.” Stiles lowered his eyes and Derek growled, releasing the human.

That was a major drawback, but also one hell of a rumor. He was surprised at what knowledge the internet could hold. Of course, he wasn’t stupid enough to believe everything that came from the internet. None of them had any idea how true that rumor was or who it was that had written it. Stiles didn’t seem that impressed with it and he spent a lot of his time on the internet.

If there was any truth to the rumor, it wouldn’t bode well for them. The truthful part would likely be that the witches could hypnotize Vincent and gain power from his heart. Derek closed his eyes and tried not to think about how difficult his life had become since shifters entered his life. He thought that it was complicated with teenage werewolves, but it was made a lot worse with a teenage shifter and a dragon-shifter.

Derek opened his eyes. For the time being, they would act on the blood plan. He told Scott to call his mother and let her know that they’ll be around to have their blood drawn. Stiles didn’t look happy about it, until Derek reminded him that his father’s life was in danger. The human nodded and squared his shoulders, ready to fight to the death for his dad.

There was a thud from upstairs and Peter stood, saying he would check on their patient. Derek went to nod, but thought about Tsuki’s earlier warning of keeping Peter away from Jackson. He told his uncle to sit down and jumped upstairs. He walked into Jackson’s room and found the snow wolf sitting up and stretching his arms above his head. Jackson glanced at Derek, cocking an eyebrow.

Derek walked up to Jackson and took in his scent. He didn’t smell sickly. He had his usual fresh scent that was addictive. Derek pulled back and stared at him. It hadn’t been two hours and it was impossible for his fever to have broken. He pulled Jackson to his feet and removed the shirt he wore, turning the shifter around. He saw the scars from his claw marks and the small scar from the entrance of the mirrus bug.

“Jackson, you’re awake!” Isaac pushed Derek out of the way and hugged the shifter tightly. Derek blinked. He was going to assume that everyone liked Jackson simply because of his wolf form, which would always play on people’s compassion. Most everyone loves a dog that plays fetch.

“I’m still a little sore, Isaac.” Jackson winced. “Especially along the spine, dude.”

Derek gently pulled Isaac back. “What do you remember, Jackson?” he inquired.

Jackson shrugged. “I remember that I was getting ready to rip out the bitch’s throat when I got this horrible, horrible stab in my spine. The pain paralyzed me for like a minute. I also remember the excruciating agony of it being pulled out.” He shuddered.

“Is that all? You didn’t slip into their minds, as I know you like to do?” Derek raised an eyebrow.

Jackson suddenly dropped his gaze. “Yeah, I did that.” He looked up. “I know where the leader is.”

 

oOo

 

Vincent struggled against the enchanted bronze chains that held him captive against a pillar. He sighed and stopped the fight, knowing he wouldn’t get free. He heard another chain rattle and saw a gray wolf stepping into the faint light. She had a silver chain around her neck. She sat down, staring at him. Vincent raised an eyebrow. Clearly, it wasn’t just dragon hunters he had to deal with.

He gazed back at the wolf-shifter. Her coat shimmered violet and red, the same colors that her eyes were swirling between. Vincent groaned. She was a fire wolf that could poison whoever she bit or scratched. It was a lethal combination and Vincent was really hoping that they hadn’t starved her to the point that she would try to take on a dragon. That didn’t seem to be the case, though.

“I’m Mina,” she said and stood, lowering her head in a bow.

“I’m Vincent. How long have they had you?”

“Three months.” She raised her head and sat down again. “I’ve never met a dragon-shifter before. I guess that’s why they were after you so badly.”

Vincent took a moment to think about what happened. He remembered leaving the clinic before Derek left with Jackson. He had to get back to the house, since Deaton didn’t bother with the pepper tea. He knew that Jackson would have a fever. Jackson had only been a shifter for a week and it was highly improbable that he would’ve had an encounter with a mirrus bug before.

As he checked his phone, there was a sharp pain in his neck. He saw three hooded figures standing over him, with half-masks that resembled a dragon skull. Another dart was shoved into his neck and then there was darkness. He woke up, chained to a pillar. The hooded figures were dragon hunters, as that was their garb.

Mina was probably caught by them or wolf hunters. Vincent gazed at her, trying to understand what was happening to them. Mina was well fed. The silver chain around her next was etched with spells, which was probably the same with the bronze chains around Vincent. The room they were in wouldn’t hold his animal form and the chains probably weren’t big enough for it, either.

“Where’s your pack?”

Mina shook her head. “I’m a lone wolf. No pack will take me, out of fear that I’ll try to take over. The problem with being a poison wolf, I guess.” She stood and moved closer. “You have the scent of a snow wolf on you, as well as werewolves. You keep very strange company.” She sniffed at him again and cocked her head. “ _Very_ strange company.”

Vincent smirked. “Yeah, a friend of mine wanted me to teach a human turned shifter.”

Mina’s eyes widened. “I thought those were a myth!”

“Werewolves think wolf-shifters are a myth.” Vincent chuckled and felt the chains on his wrists. They were smooth, but if he rubbed them enough, it should draw blood. “There have only ever been five accounts of human turned shifters. Seems to happen once a millennium. You’re a pretty rare breed, too. What’s your story?”

“I was cursed,” Mina answered simply and Vincent nodded. “I know that human turned shifters are rare. But they’re usually just regular wolf-shifters. It’s even rarer for them to become a snow wolf.”

“My ward is a strange case.” Vincent gritted his teeth as his skin was caught by a rough link. He grinned and rubbed his wrist against it. “He was a kanima before becoming a werewolf.”

“Oh. How old is he?”

“Seventeen. He was destined for a life of fuck ups. Thankfully, he’s trying to get control.”

Mina nodded as she watched Vincent’s arms. “What are you doing?”

“Trying to draw blood so my ward can find us. I get the feeling that this place is demon proof, which means that my friend can’t get in here.” Vincent’s eyes lit up as he felt a drop of blood fall from his wrist. He kept going until at least three more drops splattered on the floor. “Do you know what we’re doing here?’

“We’re waiting to be auctioned off.”

Vincent sighed and shook his head. “I thought that’s what was happening.” He paused as a scent hit him and he looked around. “Are there any witches here?”

“They showed up yesterday, asking for them to hunt down a dragon for them. I guess you’re that dragon.” Sadness laced through her words and Vincent grinned.

“Don’t think they’ll get rid of me that easily. Today’s witches aren’t as powerful as the ones from the Dark Ages.” Vincent saw that Mina wasn’t appeased, but there wasn’t much else he could do. “Don’t cry for me, okay? I don’t think I could go to my death knowing that you were crying.”

Mina nodded and stepped back. “What about your ward? Won’t he cry for you?”

“Probably not.” Vincent laughed. “He isn’t the sort to cry about a dead friend. He is the sort to get pissed off and destroy those that killed his friend.”

“You’re lucky to have friends like that.”

The door to the room rattled open. Mina and Vincent wrinkled their noses as the stench filled the room and clung to them. Electricity crackled and Mina whimpered, backing up to the pillar she was chained to. She lowered her head in submission and Vincent growled. They had tortured her. He glared at the masked man that was standing in front of Mina, a cattle prod in his hand.

Vincent glanced at the woman that was walking towards him. He tried not to gag on the odor of rotting meat and infection. She lowered the hood that was covering her face. Her blue eyes danced and her face was beautiful, if not for the horrid stink that was surrounding her. She was the leader of the coven and knew how to change her appearances.

She pulled out a cell phone and opened up the gallery. She showed the picture to Vincent and he blinked. Boyd and Erica were crucified upside down. Derek was going to be pissed off about that, but Vincent struggled against the chains. He knew they wanted to start their own pack. They wanted to have pups and the coven had killed them for the fun factor.

“You’re stronger than they said.” She locked the screen and stared into Vincent’s eyes.

Vincent could feel the gentle humming that was trying to take over his mind. He knew that a witch’s gaze could hypnotize a dragon. What the witches didn’t know was that the dragon could fight it off, especially if they were old enough to know what was happening. She tilted her head and Vincent tried to close his eyes.

The witch grinned and lifted a hand. Vincent gritted his teeth as his arms were raised as well. His shoulders dislocated and he glared at her. He focused on the pain and ignored her hum in his head. He had to wonder if she had ever entranced a dragon before. If he was her first, then he was over the moon about that. He wasn’t sure if he could handle an experienced witch.

“If you give in to me, I’ll spare your ward,” she promised, letting Vincent’s arms drop.

Vincent chuckled softly, trying not to move his shoulders. “You’ll have to get through his mate first. And he won’t go down quietly.” He hung his head for a moment, trying to get a message out to Tsuki. He wasn’t about to let anything worse happen to Jackson. “And you should know that dragons don’t give in that easily. So bring it on, bitch. If you do get my heart, I hope I give you the shits.”

 

oOo

 

Derek stared at Jackson, still unable to accept the fact that he was fine. He had been walking around for the last hour, but he managed to drop a cup of coffee and cleaned it up with paper towel. Derek knew it probably didn’t mean anything, yet he couldn’t shake the feeling that Jackson was forcing himself to act normal.

“Christ, Derek! If you don’t stop staring, I’m going to gouge your eyes out!” Jackson glared at him.

Derek cocked an eyebrow and continued to stare. Stiles and Scott stepped back as Jackson jumped over the table and pinned Derek to the floor. Derek changed their position, digging his claws into Jackson’s wrist and sniffing the blood. It smelled as fresh as it should for someone that wasn’t ill, but it was still too easy. He was told three days, if Jackson was strong.

He didn’t doubt Jackson’s strength to beat the fever in three days. He did doubt Jackson’s strength to beat it in two hours with only a few mouthfuls of ginger tea. He sighed and pulled back, getting to his feet. He held his hand out to Jackson, not surprised when it was slapped away. He shook his head, telling Scott and Stiles to head over to the hospital so they could get the blood theory underway.

Jackson got to his feet, his glare deepening. “What is your problem?” he demanded, leaning heavily on the breakfast counter. “Just accept that I’m fine, so we can move on and get Vincent back.”

“We can’t get him back until we have our blood taken out.”

Jackson closed his eyes and nodded. “Fine. You go and get your blood drawn and I’ll stay here with Isaac and Peter. We’ll see if there’s any truth to this theory. I’ll call Mark and see if he’s heard anything about it.”

Derek narrowed his eyes. He placed his hand on Jackson’s neck, applying more pressure than he probably needed to. Jackson winced slightly. “He’s not to come to this house without me here. Am I clear?” He really hoped that it came out as possessive of his territory and not jealous that Jackson had Mark’s number.

“Yes, sir,” Jackson answered and lowered his eyes.

“Good.” Derek released his neck and left the house.

He arrived at the hospital ten minutes later and was rather surprised that he wasn’t pulled over for his low flying. He pulled out his cell phone when it rang and answered it. He closed his eyes and sighed when Isaac told him that Jackson and Peter left when he did. He pursed his lips and fought to control the impulse to crush the phone.

Jackson did give in too easily, Derek decided and hung up. He should have known that the shifters were up to something. He entered the hospital and followed Scott’s scent to a room that held a coma patient. Melissa looked up and pointed to the spare chair. She finished taking a vial of Stiles’ blood and then moved onto him.

Derek glanced at Scott and told him that Jackson and Peter have gone to retrieve Vincent. Scott tilted his head, asking if Derek wanted him to trail them. Derek shook his head. Scott would be of no use to them and he didn’t need his uncle or his troubled pup killing him for getting in their way. He frowned when he thought about Jackson agreeing not to let Mark in the house.

Jackson could’ve been talking to Peter mentally. There were times that Derek wished he was a wolf-shifter so he could be in on the secret plans. Jackson had said that he accepted Derek as his alpha. This kind of defiance wasn’t something a good beta would do to their alpha. He watched as his blood filled the vial and waited for her to take a second. He had no idea why Jackson would put his life on the line for Vincent. He guessed that shifters stuck together, even if they were different animals.

“This is the last one. Scott told me what was happening and I hope this works.”

Derek blinked and looked at Melissa. He nodded and went back to staring at the door to the room. He was almost curious enough to ask why they were doing this in a room that had a coma patient in it, but decided that it probably made sense to whoever chose it. He tapped a foot, suddenly feeling restless and closed his eyes. He opened his eyes when Stiles’ phone rang and he said it was his dad.

“Get me Derek,” John ordered and Stiles frowned, handing over his phone. Derek held it to his ear. “I’m sorry, but they were dead before we found them.”

Derek’s heart thudded in his chest. “Jackson?”

“No. Erica and Vernon. I’m sorry, Derek. They were crucified and they’re heading into the hospital now, if you would like to say your goodbyes to them. I’m sorry.”

Derek raised his eyes and saw that Scott had heard it. He hung up and handed the phone back to Stiles, sitting back in the chair. He waited until the vial was filled and then stood, taking them from Melissa and making his way down to the morgue. He said he was there to identify the two that just came in, unable to take his eyes off the body bags.

He saw someone moving around in there and frowned when he recognized Jackson. The shifter had unzipped both bags down to the shoulders. He stared at Boyd for a minute, head tilted to the side and Derek caught the sorrow in his eyes. Jackson turned to Erica and frowned, unzipping it down to her hips. He placed a hand on her abdomen and flinched, pulling back. Derek forced his way into the room.

Jackson looked at Derek. His eyes shone with tears. “I’m killing all of them,” he stated calmly.

Derek glanced at the bodies, closing his eyes and inhaling deeply. “Come on, then. You know where the leader is. The quickest way to end this is to take her out.” He opened his eyes and held his arm out.

Jackson walked past him and Derek placed his hand on his shoulder, keeping a decent hold of him. He wasn’t going to run the risk of Jackson running off on him. They found Scott and Stiles waiting for them. Stiles asked if it was them and Derek nodded, trying to ignore the iciness that was surrounding Jackson. It was almost painful to touch him.

“What’s the plan?” Scott asked as they walked out of the hospital.

Jackson raised his eyes. “The usual that comes when they attack us. Kill them all and let the devil sort them out.”

Derek squeezed Jackson’s shoulder and released it. “We need to find one of the witches and see if Allison and her father have the arrows we need. Taking out the leader might be the easiest way to disband the coven, but we need to get close enough to her in order for it to happen.”

Their attention was drawn to Jackson. He had his head back and was sniffing the air. He frowned and shifted into his animal form, sniffing along the ground. Derek, Scott and Stiles froze as people walked by, staring at the abnormal wolf. Jackson raised his head, eyes swirling faster than usual.

“Vincent was taken this way. They used beetroot juice to cover his scent, but they missed a drop of his blood.”

Derek raised an eyebrow. It was odd to see a wolf speaking so eloquently. They weren’t the only ones staring at him, though and Derek had no idea how to explain something like that to the people that were gathering around. None of them had any way of explaining Jackson’s wolf form or how it was able to speak. Stiles decided to say that it was a robot for a science fair.

Jackson ran into the parking lot, sniffing along the ground. Derek got into his car and started the engine, deciding that testing the theory on the leader was better than nothing. He backed out and followed Jackson as he ran into the street. Stiles was behind him as they drove up the street, taking the corners hard as Jackson suddenly turned them.

The wolf weaved between cars and Derek wondered if he would be easier for him to park and follow Jackson on foot. He decided it would be, parking in an alley and following Jackson. He could sense that Scott had followed his lead, hopefully telling Stiles that they would text him the address. Derek frowned and pushed himself harder, trying to keep up with Jackson.

Derek cursed as Jackson ran through an intersection, not stopping or caring about the cars that slammed on their brakes to avoid hitting him. He glanced at Scott as he pulled out his phone to tell his mother that there was likely to be an accident. Jackson came to a sudden stop in the middle of an intersection. Horns blared as they tried to get him to move. Jackson ignored them.

Blood running cold, Derek watched as a car sped towards Jackson, in the hopes that he would move. The car seemed to hit a wall. The hood crushed in and the airbags deployed. Jackson still sniffed along the road and then raised his head. He ran to the left and Derek shook his head, following the shimmering wolf.

They eventually made it to an abandoned warehouse. Derek and Scott took a moment to catch their breath, glaring at Jackson as he shifted and didn’t even have a drop of sweat on him. Derek finally understood why Vincent believed shifters were superior. Scott texted the address to Stiles and then straightened, staring at the blacked out windows. Derek could sense the evil, death and sorrow that lurked within the walls.

Derek stood beside Jackson, pulling off his jacket in a vain attempt to cool down. He looked down at what Jackson was staring at. It was a circle of mountain ash set in concrete. “You’re not going in there alone,” he stated.

“There are hunters in there that hunt shifters, Derek. I don’t think you’d be much of a challenge to them.”

“I’m not losing you.” Derek felt the surprised eyes of Scott on him. “As well,” he amended.

“You could barely keep up with me.” Derek glared and Jackson held his hands up. “Okay, okay, I get it. I’m only allowed to breathe on my own.”

Derek looked over his shoulder when he heard Stiles arrive. He jumped out of his jeep and stood beside Scott, watching as Jackson walked up and down the concrete that was stopping the werewolves from crossing. Jackson stopped and tilted his head. A meter of concrete broke off the circle and was thrown to the side.

Allison and Chris arrived. Allison moved to Derek’s side and held out the arrow they had rigged up. “It works great,” she said and took the vials of blood that Derek and Stiles handed over.

“Why are we here?” Chris asked as he stared at the warehouse.

“The leader is in there,” Derek answered. “And this happens to be where the hunters took Vincent.” Derek looked over his shoulder, raising an eyebrow when he saw Peter and Isaac running up to them.

“You really are out of shape,” Jackson said and smirked at Peter. “Seriously, you should consider doing more cardio.”

Peter growled, but said nothing else. Allison announced that she was done with the arrows and put them in her quiver. She adjusted the tension on her bow and stood on Jackson’s left, while Derek remained on his right. Derek knew that Jackson wanted to be the first in there and he could handle that. Wolf-shifters were immortal, but the same couldn’t be said for werewolves. He needed Jackson at the front to be their meat shield. Jackson glanced at him and half smirked.

“Let’s go on a witch hunt,” Stiles said as they moved forward. “Pity that burning them at the stake doesn’t work.”

“As if life would be that easy,” Jackson stated as they approached the door. It opened before he touched it and he tilted his head. “They’ve been expecting us. Let’s not disappoint them.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading and for the kudos and the comments! I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. The next chapter should be up shortly and then the epilogue. Are you excited? Tell me you're excited! :D  
> Until the next one, my lovelies!  
> Peace.
> 
> Auska.


	12. Chapter XII

**~Dying Angel Style~**

**By:** Aerys Krystie.

oOo

Allison, Derek and Jackson had gone one way. Once Jackson told Peter what the scent was, he had taken the others the opposite way. Jackson placed a hand on Derek’s chest to stop him from going around a corner. Derek raised an eyebrow and Jackson looked up, staring at the air duct. Derek inhaled and caught the scent of beetroot and what smelled like Vincent’s blood.

Jackson shook his head and pulled out his cell phone. He called Derek and then pushed the phone into his pocket, climbing on Derek to reach the duct. He removed the grate and slipped in easily. His voice was a low whisper, but Derek could still hear it through the phone. Derek waited as Jackson slid along the metal duct, barely making a sound. He had no idea when Jackson learned to do that and he wasn’t about to question it, either.

Derek put his phone in his back pocket, listening to Jackson’s directions. He told Allison to move over to the sedative arrows. She pulled one from the lot strapped to her lower legs, notching it and then stepping around the corner. She fired and hit the hunter in the chest. Jackson warned that there were two others around the next corner and Derek relayed the information. Allison made short work of them and they were in the clear for the time being.

As they walked down the hallway, Derek paused and looked at the doors that were on either side of them. He could hear people crying, moaning with fear or groaning with pain. He stepped up to one door and slid open the viewer. He jumped back when a lioness swiped at the glass and roared. Derek nodded and closed the viewer, deciding he really didn’t want to know what the hell was happening in there. He didn’t even want to know how long this operation had been happening for.

Allison shivered as she looked into a room. She stepped back, shaking her head in disgust. Derek placed a hand on her shoulder. He understood what she was going through. Once they took care of the hunters that were in the building, they could worry about setting all the animals free. Though, Derek was certain that none of them were actually animals. He had no idea what it took to keep a shifter in their animal form, but if it was possible to stop a werewolf from shifting, then it would be just as easy to keep a shifter in one form.

Jackson told them to keep moving and Derek pulled Allison along. She didn’t bother to keep her rage hidden as she fired arrows. When she ran out of sedative arrows, she went for maiming the hunters, eyes narrowed with hatred. Derek ran ahead of her, slamming heads into walls, despite really wanting to rip their throats out. He could sense their misery and he could only imagine how bad it must be for another shifter.

Derek and Allison met up with the others outside of a metal door. Derek touched the handle and pulled back as the metal burned his hand. Peter shook his head and touched the handle. He gasped as the same thing happened. Derek removed his jacket and wrapped it around the handle, pulling the door open. They crowded in and Allison took the center, blood arrow notched and ready to be fired.

The wolves sniffed the air. There was a scent of a witch, but it wasn’t strong. She had left a while ago. Jackson was kneeling in front of a pillar, bronze chains in his hands. He turned around and stared into the shadows of another pillar. Derek went to take a step, but Jackson held his hand up. A wolf wandered out, standing four feet and six inches at the shoulder. Her gray coat shimmered violet and red in the dull light. She sat down and bowed her head to Jackson.

“Are you Vincent’s ward?” she said quietly, glancing at the others that were standing in the room.

“I am,” Jackson answered as he moved closer to her. “Where is he?”

“The witch took him. He wouldn’t be hypnotized, so she knocked him out and took him somewhere. Before it happened, he asked me to tell you not to cry for him.”

Jackson’s heart stopped for a moment. He swallowed thickly and nodded. “He’d know I wouldn’t cry for him. What else did he say?”

“He said that if you would cry, you can find him where you woke up after your first night with your mate.” Her swirling violet and red eyes locked onto Derek.

“He’s not my mate.” Derek threw his hands up, shaking his head. Even wolves he’d never met before thought Jackson was his mate.

Jackson rolled his eyes. “We get it! You don’t like me.” He turned his attention back to the she-wolf in front of him. “I can release you.”

She shook her head and stepped back. “I’m better off here. My kind is treated worse in the shifter world. At least here, I get three meals a day and a decent bed. Please find Vincent. He was really nice to me while he was here. I don’t want to think of him losing his heart because of some witch.”

Derek watched as she disappeared into the shadows again. Jackson stood and stepped back from the pillar. He turned his eyes to Derek and nodded. Both of them knew where Vincent was taken, but Derek was more pissed about the fact Vincent had to word it that way. It was a casual one night stand, since he was drunk on his new found power and Jackson’s fear. Jackson either repressed it or chose to forget it.

Now wasn’t the time to be thinking about that night. Derek told them that they were heading back to the Hale house and from there they could come up with a battle plan. He grabbed Jackson’s arm to stop him from shifting and running back. He knew that Jackson wouldn’t wait for them to show up, since he was faster than the lot of them. They made their way out of the warehouse, trying not to think about the shifters they were leaving behind. The leader of the coven was their top priority.

Derek and Jackson got a lift with Stiles back to Derek’s car. Jackson ended their phone call and tapped the cell phone against his lower lip. Derek forced himself not to look at it. The drive was most done in silence, until Scott decided to ask the one question that Derek was dreading. He turned around in the seat and stared at the alpha.

“So why haven’t you claimed him?”

Jackson glared at Scott and hunkered down in the seat, turning his angry eyes to the window. Derek said nothing, deciding that the best way to stop everyone’s questions was just to ignore them. He didn’t think he owed anyone an explanation. He didn’t have one, which didn’t help either. Still, it wasn’t as if he wanted Jackson as a mate. It was an accident that was induced by wolfsbane and that was it. If everyone could just drop the subject, he would be much happier.

Scott rolled his eyes, but dropped the subject and faced forward again. Stiles glanced at the rearview mirror. “Jackson, what kind of wolf was the girl?”

“A poison wolf,” Jackson answered as he lowered his eyes. “I saw what her life was like and she was right. She is better off in that warehouse.”

Derek placed a hand on Jackson’s knee. The shifter pulled it away and stared out the window. Derek wished he knew what was going through the snow wolf’s mind. Jackson knew he was the talk of the shifter world, simply because he was a rare case. He was one of five, but he still looked lost and lonely and Derek knew there wasn’t a cure for that, especially if the person didn’t want to be cured.

He had tried to be as friendly as possible with Jackson, but it was weird with him being more powerful. Derek knew it was a stupid reason and yet he couldn’t stop the small streak of fear that entered him whenever Jackson glared at him. Jackson was flippant at the best of times, as a werewolf. Now that he had the power of a shifter behind him, he would be unstoppable. He didn’t want to think about it, but he was giving serious consideration to having Jackson join a shifter pack.

Stiles’ phone rang and he fished it out of his pocket. “Seriously?” Derek demanded as the human answered the ringing device. “You’re seriously gonna talk on that thing while you’re driving?”

“I’m really good at multitasking. Hello? What do you mean you’re about to pop in?” Stiles cried out as Tsuki appeared between Derek and Jackson. “Even with a warning you still scare the shit out of me!”

Tsuki hung up and the phone vanished. “I do apologize, Stiles.” He reached forward and took Stiles’ phone, pressing buttons until he hit the speaker button. “Do I have everyone?”

Derek and Scott winced as a series of voices overlapping sounded. “We get it, you’re all there,” Jackson snapped without turning his eyes away from the window. “Tsuki is about to tell us the plan. So pay attention.”

Derek raised an eyebrow and looked at the demon expectantly. “You’re gonna tell us what the plan is?” He frowned as his phone rang. He saw Stiles’ number show up and then looked out at the wind shield when the car slowed. He sighed and answered the phone, getting of the jeep and sliding into his Camaro. “So what’s the plan?”

“We are going straight to the river. There is no point in leaving Vincent alone with the witches longer than is necessary.”

Derek slowed slightly as he went around a corner. He heard Peter voice his thoughts. “Well, that’s a given.” He didn’t bother to hide the sarcasm in his voice and Derek shook his head. “What exactly do you want us to do?”

“Did you know I am one of five creatures that can kill a shifter with their mind?” Tsuki inquired innocently and Derek smirked, shaking with suppressed laughter.

Jackson winced as the seatbelt cut into his clavicle. “Who taught you how to drive, an eastern European taxi driver?” he demanded and rubbed the abused bone.

“Shut up and anticipate,” Derek snapped as he rounded another corner.

“Getting back to the plan,” Chris stated.

“You need to go straight to the river. The leader is still busy trying to hypnotize Vincent and she will be vulnerable while she is doing that.” There was a pause. “Jackson, you should not be there. You can only lock away the fever for so long and you have exerted your body more than is natural.”

Derek’s eyes snapped to Jackson. The shifter had his eyes lowered and a soft blush on his cheeks. “You lied to me!”

“You never asked!”

“I asked if you were over the fever.”

“And I said that I was because I’m a shifter.”

“You’re not over it!”

“Get a room!” Stiles shouted.

“Shut up, Stilinski,” Derek and Jackson snapped at the phone. Jackson pouted and sat back. “I’m fine. I can do this. Vincent needs all the help he can get.”

Derek shook his head and pressed his foot on the gas pedal harder. With all the turns, Jackson was thrown around in the passenger seat like a rag doll. Derek didn’t care anymore. He was tired of Jackson lying to him about everything. They stopped a few hundred meters from the river, hoping that they could get the element of surprise.

Getting out of the car, Derek walked around to the passenger door. He opened it and ripped Jackson out of the seat. He punched him. “I’m your _alpha_! If you need to rest, then you fucking rest! You don’t lock away a fever. Do you have any idea what it could happen to your body? Why is Vincent so important that you would risk death for him?” Okay, so there was a little jealousy in his voice at the fact that Jackson was stupidly and recklessly compromising his life for a dragon-shifter that got captured.

Jackson rubbed his jaw, but didn’t swing back, which was what Derek was expecting. “I would do the exact same thing for you! I would do the same thing if it was Scott, Stiles, Isaac or Allison!” He wiped at his eyes furiously.

Seeing the tears, Derek felt his anger die off. He had no idea why, as Jackson’s tears never seemed to affect him before. Still, there was something about him being upset that he was trying to do the right thing that made Derek feel like a douche for being angry with him. This Jackson was a different person; someone that was trying to do the right thing, even if he was going about it in the wrong way. The point was, he was trying.

“I’m sorry, Jackson. I’m worried about you, that’s all. I don’t need you dropping on me because you can’t keep the fever back. I don’t think Vincent would appreciate it, either.” A small chuckle left Jackson and Derek relaxed. He took hold of Jackson’s chin and licked the bruise that was forming on his jaw.

“Not your mate, huh?”

Derek ignored Scott’s question until he was certain the bruise was healed. He stepped back and glared at the young werewolf. “Is this relevant to our current situation? We have a witch that’s trying to get the heart of a dragon so she could increase her power.”

Scott shrugged as they approached pair. They made their way to the river, using the darkness and the sounds of the forest to cover their tracks. Jackson and Peter shifted into their animal forms and split from the pack. Derek crouched in the shadow of a tree, watching the scene before him, while trying to actually form a decent plan.

The witches were around Vincent, surrounding him as the leader kept gazing at him. The dragon was making jabs at her and her lack of ability to do anything right. Derek wasn’t sure if the dragon was brave or just stupid. However, the leader was getting angrier with each word that came from Vincent’s mouth. The leader screeched and stepped back.

“Do you have a clear shot of her?” Derek whispered.

“Not from here. I can move a few feet to the right and hope for the best. I don’t want to give away our position just yet.”

“Be careful,” Chris muttered as he loaded bullets into a desert eagle clip.

“You coated the bullets in our blood?” Derek asked.

“You never said how much of the blood would kill them. If we can incapacitate them, then I’ll be happy while Allison gets a shot at the leader.” Chris slipped the clip into the gun and cocked it, taking off the safety.

“Ah, fuck! _Boreíte pórni_!” Vincent shouted and struggled to get his hands free.

“It isn’t nice to call someone a whore, Vincent.”

“You’re right. That’s an insult to whores. Men pay you good money so you _don’t_ offer them sex.”

Derek raised an eyebrow at the slap Vincent received for that. He turned his eyes to Allison and she shook her head. Derek tried not to sigh. He frowned when he saw Jackson walking up to the coven from the right, while Peter approached them from the left. Derek pressed his lip against his fist, trying not to scream at them for breaking protocol.

Jackson’s eyes went white, while Peter’s went red. A tower of fire surrounded the coven and Derek winced as their shrieks pierced his head like a knife. Vincent had jumped out of the way and landed beside Chris, turning his back to the hunter. Chris undid the chains and Vincent rubbed his wrists, standing and walking over to the coven.

“Stay here and wait for your shot, Allison,” Derek said as he walked out after Vincent. Chris was by his side as was Isaac. Scott was beside Chris and Stiles stayed back.

Jackson walked up to Derek, circled around his legs and then sat on his right. The fire died down. The leader screamed and ran her hands through his hair, repairing the damage that was done. She glared at Jackson and flicked her hand. Jackson yelped as his back hit a tree and Derek released his wolf, growling at the bitch. Scott and Isaac followed his lead, while Chris shot her between the eyes. She deflected the bullet and Chris hissed as it embedded in his shoulder.

Slowly, the werewolves circled her, ignoring the groans of pain from the other witches. She kept her eyes on Derek. She held her arms out, pushing Isaac and Scott back. Derek snuffled and ran at her, scratching her face. She scoffed and grew claws of her own. She shoved them between the third and forth rib on the right and Derek gritted his teeth, glancing at Allison and nodded.

The arrow was fired, but the witch turned around and let it embed in Derek’s back. Derek was really hoping that it was his blood that was injected in his body. He didn’t want to deal with a foreign blood type in his system. The witch’s other hand wrapped around his neck and he could feel her claws sinking into the soft flesh of his throat.

He was dropped when Jackson latched onto her arm. He pulled out the arrow, watching as Jackson stepped from side to side, ducking her claws. Derek was surprised he was that fast for such a large wolf. He made it look easy as he caught her arm. Her claws raked up his ribs and blood stained the white coat. Jackson either didn’t notice or didn’t care as his eyes turned blue and he released her arm, stepping back.

Her eyes widened as her body jerked. Derek looked over his shoulder and nodded at Allison, wondering why she was taking so long. Jackson was out of the way as he lied beside Derek, licking the wounds on his throat. The next arrow was fired, but the witch caught it and Derek could hear what sounded like ice in her body breaking with the movement. Jackson stood and lowered his head, snarling.

Derek got to his feet and ran at her with Jackson. His claws buried into her chest and he tried to grip her heart. It might have been easier if she actually had one. She kicked Jackson away and took hold of Derek’s arm. She twisted it around, nearly ripping it off from the elbow. Jackson got his jaws around her throat. He ripped out her throat and the pressure was released on her grip. Derek stepped back, watching as her throat healed. The same was happening to his arm.

Another arrow was fired, piercing the witch’s left eye. She screamed and ripped it out, throwing to the ground before the blood could enter her system. Derek wasn’t sure how many of those arrows Allison had, but he hoped she got a lucky show in before all of them were murdered. Chris sat up and unloaded the clip into her chest, as another arrow was fired and hit her in the right eye.

Derek glanced at Peter. He was still in wolf form, sitting down and watching the fight. Derek rolled his eyes. He figured if anyone was going to get in on the action, it would have been him. The witch fell to her knees and held her hands over her chest. She pulled out the bullets and sent them towards Allison and Stiles. Derek’s eyes widened and he turned around, just in time to see Jackson take each bullet into his body and fall to the ground.

The witch cackled and fell to the side, her body going up in flames. Derek jumped back, watching as all of the witches caught flame. He ran over to Jackson, growling as his arm got in the way of Peter’s jaws that were going Jackson’s throat. He shoved his uncle away and reined in his wolf, looking at the damage done to Jackson’s body.

Allison was on her knees, stroking his neck as she cried and whispering that she was sorry. Scott knelt beside her and Isaac stood back. Vincent rolled his eyes and told them all to stop being dramatic. He placed his hand on Jackson’s shoulder and closed his eyes. He gritted his teeth and everyone watched with awe as the bullets were pulled out of his body and the holes slowly closed.

Vincent exhaled and stumbled backwards. He said that Jackson was healthy enough to be moved, so Derek picked him up and took him back to the car. He pushed the passenger seat down as far as it would go and laid Jackson in it. He made his way back to the Hale home, ignoring the bite on his arm that hadn’t healed. There were more important things to worry about.

 

oOo

 

Jackson moaned quietly as he opened his eyes. He lifted a paw and shifted into his human form, looking around his room. He found Allison and Scott asleep together under a blanket beside his bed. Stiles was sleeping at the foot of the bed and Isaac was beside Jackson in the bed. Jackson rolled onto his back and inhaled deeply. It almost felt like family.

Isaac snorted as he woke at the movement. “Hey, you’re finally awake! You’ve been asleep for the past two days.” He sat up and stretched. “You had all of us worried, you know. We thought that there might have been more damage. Vincent told us we were overreacting.”

Jackson laughed and sat up as well. Allison jerked awake and stared at him. Before Jackson could even begin to react, Allison had launched herself at him and was hugging him tightly. “Thank god! I thought I had killed you,” she whispered with a broken voice.

He thought back to what she was talking about. He had taken those bullets because he knew his body could handle it a lot better than a human’s body could. He smiled and returned the hug, glaring at Scott when he growled. He wasn’t the one that instigated the hug, but he wasn’t going to be a complete dick and push her away.

Jackson did pull away when he heard a groan. It wasn’t from his room, though. He went to the bathroom that joined his room to Derek’s and listened at the door. He could hear labored breathing and turned back to the others that were standing by the doorway. He raised an eyebrow in question and all of them looked down, unable to meet his eyes.

It lasted a few minutes until Jackson demanded to know what was happening. Vincent showed up and told them that breakfast was ready. Jackson wanted to get answers, but when his stomach growled he knew he had better head down stairs. Vincent would probably drag him down there by the ear if he refused and Jackson didn’t feel like losing all of his dignity.

In the kitchen, they found the parents there as well. Chris, John and Melissa were sitting around the table, which had somehow tripled in size. A variety was on display in the center and the teenagers took a seat, hungrily grabbing for whatever they could. Jackson glanced up and noticed that Stiles was smiling at him. After looking at his plate, Jackson realized he hadn’t touched any of the meat. He shrugged and Stiles’ smile moved into a grin.

Jackson noticed that Chris was nursing his shoulder and tilted his head. He ate his breakfast in silence, keeping an eye on the hunter. He figured the least he could do was heal that for him when he had the strength, since he received it while trying to save his friend. Stiles spoke about what happened, filling in some of the blanks that Jackson had. He didn’t remember what actually happened to the leader and the coven. He was pretty much out of it when he took the bullets.

Peter entered the kitchen and sat beside Jackson, giving him a knowing smile. Jackson had no idea what he was up to, but decided it was best not to go into his mind. Every time he did that, he felt dirty when came out. It was like the slime of Peter’s mind tainted him and he couldn’t scrub it off, unless he cut open his head and used brain bleach.

“So what’s happening with Derek? I expected he would down here to tell me I wasn’t allowed to eat until everyone else had finished.” Jackson ate the last of his waffles and sat back, sipping the peppermint tea.

“Don’t really know what’s happening to him,” Isaac answered as he downed his orange juice. “He locked himself in his room yesterday and we haven’t seen him since then.”

Jackson nodded, deciding it wasn’t his place to question his alpha. He looked around. “Who’s in charge while he’s in his room? I’m guessing Scott?”

“Wow. Okay, I was really expecting you to say that you put yourself in charge. You know that none of us would’ve challenged you. I don’t really feel like having my ass kicked.” Scott grinned for a moment and then shrugged. “He didn’t appoint anyone. There isn’t any trouble, so it doesn’t matter.”

Jackson shrugged and grinned, helping himself to the bowl of strawberries. He listened as Stiles once again went into a description of what happened. John and Melissa’s eyes widened dramatically as he explained what the witches were trying to do. Jackson lowered his eyes, curious about the warehouse of shifters they had left behind.

“And Jackson was like a monster of a wolf when he was fighting the leader!” Stiles declared, waving his hands around and flinging maple syrup everywhere.

Jackson stared at him, trying to understand why he disliked the boy for so long. John took hold of Stiles’ hands and lowered them. Oh, that’s why. Stiles had a great relationship with his real father, while Jackson barely had one with his adoptive parents. It was jealousy, pure and simple. He wanted something that he could never have.

“He ripped out her throat and then I think he froze the blood in her veins. It was so awesome and so creepy at the same time!” Stiles grinned and shoved the last of the pancake into his mouth. He swallowed. “And then he took the bullets that the witch shot at me and Allison.” He went quiet for a moment. “Thanks for that.”

Jackson looked up. “Don’t mention it,” he said and stood, heading to the front porch. He sat on the top step, staring off into the distance.

“What’s wrong?” Isaac asked as he sat beside Jackson.

“Nothing,” Jackson answered. He closed his eyes and tried to understand what was wrong. They had taken out the coven and Mark’s pack wasn’t going to cause them too much trouble. Derek was still denying that there was something between them and he was a wolf-shifter. “I guess I’m still upset about Erica and Boyd.”

“There wasn’t anything we could’ve done for them, man. I just hope that they’re happy, wherever they are.”

“Erica was pregnant when she was murdered,” Jackson said and lowered his eyes. “She was going to be a mother in a matter of months and that was taken from her.”

“Oh shit,” Isaac breathed and closed his eyes. “I didn’t even know.”

“It wasn’t far enough along for there to be any changes in her scent.” Jackson stood and ran his hands through his hair. “They were thinking about starting their own pack. They would have made awesome parents, I’m sure.” He sighed and rested against the banister, staring down at his bare feet. “The coven was in town for days and they managed to murder fifteen people.”

“We stopped them, though. That has to count for something. We didn’t let them murder any more people and they never will.”

“A small victory, I guess.”

“It’s better than nothing.”

“I can’t argue with that.” Jackson sighed again and shifted in his wolf form. “I’m going for a run. Wanna join me?” Isaac grinned and stood, running down the stairs and into the trees. “That’s not fair!” Jackson shouted and gave chase.

 

oOo

 

Derek gritted his teeth and pressed his head into the pillow. When the surge of pain died off slightly, he raised his arm and stared at the bite. It looked infected and smelled like it. It didn’t matter how much he cleaned the wound, it would always smell infected. When it was clean, it just looked angry. He could be thankful that it stopped bleeding an hour ago. He exhaled and lowered his arm, wiping the sweat from his brow with his other arm.

The ceiling was starting to spin again, which meant another wave of nausea was getting ready to hit him. A minute later, it did and Derek rolled onto his side, throwing up into the bucket beside his bed. Vincent put it there as he refused to mop the floor. Derek coughed and spat out the last of the blood that was caught in his throat. He hung his head and groaned.

Everything hurt. His muscles were aching and each joint felt inflamed. He couldn’t focus on anything for too long or his eyes would feel as though they were bleeding. His head was pounding in time to his erratic heart. His lungs felt as though they were on fire, as if he’d been running for the last twelve hours and couldn’t seem to take in any oxygen. He was grateful for the pain, though. It told him that he was still alive and that meant he could beat it.

Whatever ‘it’ was.

No one seemed ready to tell him anything. The last thing he heard was that Jackson was still unconscious, but that he was surrounded by his friends. Derek had checked on them that morning and saw that Vincent was right. The night before, Allison, Isaac, Scott and Stiles had crowded onto the bed, trying to hug the fever out of Jackson.

Derek closed his eyes, wishing the pain would disappear. He tried to inhale through his nose and coughed when blood tickled the back of his throat. He leaned over the bucket again, letting the blood drip into it. He had gone through three boxes of tissues on the blood already. He was almost certain that he would die soon from blood loss. If this is what blood loss felt like, Derek wished it would just end so he could revel in the sweet release of death.

He vomited again and opened his eyes, groaning when everything was red. He grabbed a tissue a dabbed at his eyes. He touched his ears and felt the blood there. He had no doubt that he looked as bad as Peter did when his body was trying to accept the change into a wolf-shifter. Derek’s eyes widened and he tried to sit up. The sudden movement made him throw up and he called out for Vincent feebly. His voice was pathetically weak.

The dragon heard him, nonetheless and the door to his room opened. Derek turned his head slightly and tried to glare. It hurt too much to focus enough to glare. His head hung again. “What the hell is happening to me? Am I becoming a wolf-shifter?”

“It would seem that your uncle wanted to keep it in the family,” Vincent answered as he sat on the bed and rubbed Derek’s back.

Derek groaned at the touch. It irritated his spine, which was protesting enough without the added weight of a dragon’s hand on it. “I don’t want to be a wolf-shifter!” He tried to swallow as his throat felt raw.

“In that case, you’ll probably die after a day or two of this. Does that make you feel better?”

Derek opened his eyes, staring at the blood in the bucket. “I still have Isaac. And–and there are no other alphas.” He moaned and forced his body to roll onto his back.

“Scott can take care of Isaac.”

“He’s not…” Derek closed his eyes. Scott was too indecisive to be an alpha, but Derek couldn’t really rule anything out since he discovered that shifters existed. He needed to do something about the warehouse that was housing all the shifters, as well. If he was lucky, that could fall to Scott while he tried to remain alive.

“Yeah, he is. It just needs to activate. Or you could remain the alpha, knowing that no one in their right mind would fuck with you.”

Derek wasn’t sure if that was an option. He didn’t want to be a wolf-shifter. He was happy as a werewolf. He didn’t want to be different. _Too bad_ , his mind chided him. _You don’t always get what you want. So suck it up, princess._ Derek frowned. He was almost certain he had said those words to Jackson at some point.

As it was, he had grown up as a werewolf. He knew how to be a werewolf. He didn’t know the first thing about being a wolf-shifter and he doubted Vincent could offer any real insight into that. Having someone around to help with his magic was great, but he had no idea how to focus and ignore instinct when in his wolf form. He had seen firsthand how difficult that had been for Jackson. That wasn’t something he really wanted to go through.

He opened his eyes. “Kill me,” he said.

Vincent cocked an eyebrow. “Yeah, because _that’s_ gonna happen.” His voice was dripping with sarcasm. He looked at the window for a moment, before his eyes flickered to Derek’s. He frowned slightly. “Look, if you need help with the magic aspect, I can hang around and help you.”

Derek hissed as Vincent sat him up. He could feel the blood running from his nose and grabbed a tissue, holding it there. “What kind am I gonna be?”

“Hard to say, actually. Your eyes are already changing color, but it could go either way.”

“Wha–what colors?” Derek’s eyes closed and he heard Vincent huff. He forced them open and gazed at the general area that was Vincent’s head.

“Blue and green,” he answered. “You’ll either be a healer or an earth wolf, which is strange considering you were bitten by a fire wolf.”

Derek closed his eyes and let his head hang forward as sleep claimed him. When he woke, he could only hope that it would be better. Peter had been in this state for two days before he suddenly felt alive and ready to take on the world. Of course, he made a deal with Tsuki that gave him all knowledge of his wolf, while Derek was going to receive squat.

Literally. He could already feel Jackson slipping away from him, which meant that when he woke, he wouldn’t have his mate with him. His body tried to jerk into action, but the brain was shut down and trying to heal the damage done. He thought back to when his uncle bit him and frowned. At least, he thought he frowned. He was meant to be asleep. How was he able to continue thinking?

“You conscious and subconscious are two entities now. Much like how you tried to explain the wolf inside of your pack. They had themselves and they had their wolf. You now have your conscious mind, subconscious mind and your animal to contend with. Your subconscious is the one awake at the moment. That’s how you’re able to recall all the small details of that night.”

Derek thought about that night. Peter didn’t move until Derek’s arm was in the way of Jackson’s throat, which is when the bite occurred. Somehow, Peter had gotten his own blood on his teeth when they sank into Derek’s arm. How had he done that? Derek could only guess that he had bitten his tongue. Why would Peter want him to be a wolf-shifter, though? Derek didn’t want to think about that.

When his conscious mind came to, Derek felt worse than he ever thought possible. The very _idea_ of breathing was sending painful jolts through his body. He couldn’t open his eyes, even if his life depended on it, but there was a cool, soothing hand on his forehead. Against his body’s wishes, Derek inhaled deeply and caught the gentle scent of rose and oranges. He was hoping it would be Jackson, but he wasn’t too disappointed in having Tsuki there.

The soothing aura that seemed to surround demon was stronger than before. Derek never understood that about Tsuki, but there was a lot he didn’t understand when it came to the demon. He wanted to reach out and hug Tsuki until it stopped hurting. That would be a little too weird, even for him and he was bleeding out nearly every orifice. He was certain he had pissed himself, as the thought of putting pressure on his joints just wasn’t an option.

“Hurts…”

“It will for a while,” Tsuki said softly. His voice seemed to take away some of the pain.

“How long?” If it lasted any longer, he would attempt to take his own damn life. He couldn’t handle this kind of pain and he wasn’t doing anything.

“It will be over sooner than you think.” Derek felt soft lips against his forehead. “Rest now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is the last chapter (I don't count prologues or epilogues as chapters) of this story. How many of you saw this one coming, huh? C'mon, I know at least a few you figured something like this would happen. Anyway, the epilogue will be up in a few hours. Thanks for the kudos and the comments! I really loved them and hope to see more in the future.  
> Until the next one, my lovelies!  
> Peace.
> 
> Auska.


	13. Epilogue

**~Dying Angel Style~**

**By:** Aerys Krystie.

oOo  
Epilogue

 

Jackson stood in front of the Hale house, gazing at the second level of it. He didn’t know what to do. Derek had been in his room for the last two days and he was stuck in the same place, with nothing to do. His magic was as good as it was going to get, thanks to the fever from a week ago. He knew that a wolf pack was making its way towards the town. He didn’t know if he should join them and see what the world of a shifter had to offer.

Derek wasn’t showing any signs of getting better. Allison, Isaac, Scott and Stiles were with him, talking about what was happening to Derek. Jackson wanted to tell them, especially since Peter was no where to be found. Jackson lowered his eyes, looking over the others slowly. It was the strangest pack he had ever seen.

It wasn’t everyday that a hunter of werewolves was in a relationship with one or working with them. The human of the group didn’t seem bothered by the fact that he was a human and could only offer information, which wasn’t a bad thing. Isaac was the only remaining werewolf bitten by Derek and soon that will be a thing of a past.

Jackson turned his back to the house and stared into the trees. Two days ago, he wanted nothing more than to fit in with Derek’s pack. If Derek woke up a wolf-shifter, things might be different. He would have to make a choice – remain alpha or give up the status. Once he had complete control over his magic, he would make a decent alpha.

Shifting in his animal form, Jackson sat down and continued to stare at the trees. He listened to the birds and insects that went about their lives. From behind him, Derek roared in and pain and demanded death. Jackson lowered his head. The change for Derek was much worse than it was for him. All he received was a lack of appetite and the inability to sleep. He was almost grateful for that, except now he couldn’t stop eating.

Isaac sighed as he sat beside Jackson. “How long will it take?”

“I don’t know. It took three months with me and it took Peter two days.” Jackson closed his eyes and tilted his head back. The wolf pack had a fresh scent to them. There was something earthy to their scent, as well, like moss. Jackson leveled his head. “It was like dying angel style,” he concluded.

“What does that mean?” Stiles asked as he sat on Jackson’s other side. “How does anyone die angel style? I’m not entirely sure that’s possible.”

Jackson lied down, rolling to his side and pressing his back to Stiles. “When an angel is about to expire, they always do so alone. They don’t want to be around loved ones to cause them more pain than is necessary. Some people just know when they are going to die alone.”

Stiles absently stroked Jackson’s ruff. “And you thought you were going to die alone, despite being a werewolf and surrounded by a pack?”

“My alpha didn’t care about enough to realize that I was vegetarian and everyone thought I had caught Isaac’s cold.” Jackson raised his head and looked at the shame on Isaac’s face. “Thanks for that, by the way. Your cold opened a path for the pneumonia.” Isaac lowered his head apologetically, though Jackson didn’t really blame him.

“Yeah, I looked up werewolf pneumonia and I couldn’t find much on it,” Stiles said, tangling his fingers in the soft fur. “What exactly is it?”

“Basically, it’s rabies for werewolves. It sends them insane as it alters their werewolf DNA. In my case, my DNA was already altered because of the kanima and from there, it split and mutated until I became a wolf-shifter. Still trying to understand how I became a snow wolf, though.” Everyone had been a little vague on that detail.

“Vincent was right,” Stiles muttered. “You were destined for a life of fuck ups. But being a snow wolf isn’t that bad, is it? I mean, it isn’t like they’re shunned in the shifter world, are they?”

Jackson laughed softly, which made Isaac lay his head on his stomach and made the laughter bubble up more. “No,” he said when he calmed down. “Snow wolves are as accepted as any other wolf, except the poison wolves. I just ––” He stopped the words from spilling free, not wanting any of them to know that he had doubts of this pack.

While he loved the pack unconditionally, there was something that was missing. Jackson figured he just needed to be around his own kind. He needed to know the etiquette of wolf-shifters. There was only so much that Vincent could do to help in that area, since he was a solitary creature. Jackson wasn’t sure if wolf-shifters were like werewolves or actual wolves. He didn’t want them to know that he wanted to learn more about his kind, though.

“Derek’s scent is fading from you,” Isaac murmured sleepily and buried his nose into Jackson’s ribs. He pulled back. “It doesn’t smell like Derek’s werewolf scent.”

“What do you mean?” Scott asked as he knelt beside Isaac and sniffed along Jackson. “It smells like wood.”

Jackson wriggled, not entirely comfortable with two werewolves sniffing him. He knew exactly what was happening, but he wasn’t going to tell them. Despite the fact that Derek had marked him when he was a human, he still carried Derek’s scent with him. Now that Derek was becoming a wolf-shifter, the scent was changing to suit Derek’s shifter scent.

He huffed and decided that he was never going to be rid of Derek. He knew that Derek didn’t want him as a mate, but Jackson had a hard time letting that go. He raised his head and looked at Allison, curious on if she could help him with this problem. She was smiling lazily at him. He slipped into her mind and his eyes widened comically for a wolf.

“Really, Allison?” he demanded and let his head drop. “You think this is a beautiful thing?”

Allison stuttered at the accusation for a moment. “Hey, stay out of my head!” She pouted slightly. “But yes, I do think it’s a beautiful thing. Do you have any idea how long some people search for their life mate? You and Derek found each other without even trying.”

Jackson snuffled and closed his eyes, enjoying the closeness of the werewolves and Stiles. The human was still losing his fingers in Jackson’s ruff, but it was soothing and could easily put him to sleep. He wondered why it was that all of them loved his wolf form. He figured it had something to do with dog being man’s best friend and they were still awed by the novelty of his animal form. He could live with that, for as long as it took them to get over it.

His ears twitched and he got to his feet, looking around. He heard a voice whisper through his mind, commanding him to follow. He took a step towards the trees, but paused and looked over his shoulder. He gazed at the second story of the house, hearing Derek’s ragged breathing and the curses that were the result of his pain.

_Come, little one._ Jackson faced the trees again and ran into them. He was tired of dying angel style. He ignored the cries of the others as he ran off. He knew that Scott and Isaac were following him, but there was no way they could keep up with his animal form. He hid his scent and ignored the painful thumping of his heart. This was for the better, he told himself. He wished he could believe that.

 

oOo

 

Tsuki stood from the bed and moved over to the window. He stared at the trees that stretched on for miles. Derek watched him with eyes that went in and out of focus. He had demanded that Tsuki stay with him, as the demon made the pain almost bearable. In the last two days, he had begged, pleaded, beseeched, bargained and demanded death. Tsuki had ignored each attempt.

Derek looked at his arm, frowning as he saw the skin rippling, which caused another bout of nausea. He managed to get it in the bucket and stared at the blood. How much did he have in his body? He supposed it didn’t help that Tsuki was force-feeding him orange juice to keep his blood count up. He would happily die, but the demon seemed to get some kind of sick satisfaction from watching him suffer. Maybe it was payback for him not noticing the change in Jackson.

“Jacks…on?” Derek groaned and let his head hang forward. He ignored the blood was that was trickling from his mouth and nose, falling onto his chest and being soaked up by the blanket that wasn’t doing shit for his chills.

“He has left. The call of the alpha was too strong for him to ignore,” Tsuki explained softly and turned away from the window. He closed the curtains and Derek smiled. The light made his eyeballs feel as though they were about to explode. Despite knowing this, Tsuki always opened the curtains in the morning.

“I’m – his…”

A cool hand was placed on his forehead and Derek tilted his head back, trying to get more of the touch. It was like a mother’s hand: soft, warm – despite being cool – and somehow soothing. “He has bled for you, died for you and killed for you, Derek. At every turn, you have denied him as your mate. There is only so much pain a person can take before they decide they want to live.”

Derek figured he was going to be lectured, since he couldn’t get away from it. He never expected Tsuki to be the one telling him everything Jackson had done for him, especially recently. He forced his eyes to open and he looked at Tsuki’s dark green eyes, which were soft with compassion. Derek assumed that was because he looked pathetic. Being covered in blood, sweating and shivering tended to make a person look pathetic.

He could imagine Jackson approaching the pack of snow wolves. He knew the alpha would be massive, towering over the young shifter. He also knew that Jackson would immediately roll over and bare his throat to the alpha. Something Jackson had never done for him, despite Derek nearly begging him to do so. He had no idea how to handle Jackson – as a human, kanima, werewolf and shifter. There wasn’t a manual he could read about troubled pack members.

“…he be happy?”

Tsuki lowered his eyes and Derek tried to sit up and get his eyes to focus. Derek knew what that look meant. Tsuki was contemplating lying to him. Whether it was to make him feel better or worse, Derek had no idea. He just knew that he couldn’t really trust the next words out of Tsuki’s mouth. Though, he had come to learn that Tsuki was much like Jackson: a brilliant liar and could make everything sound like the truth.

“He will be as happy as someone can be without their mate near them,” Tsuki finally answered and raised his eyes. “Much like you, Derek.”

“I – can’t. Not…” Derek closed his eyes and tried to get oxygen into his lungs around the blood in them and his throat.

“I can read your mind, Derek. You do not need to talk.”

_You knew this would happen. You knew he would leave us – leave me._ Derek sighed softly, deciding that just thinking was better than using energy he didn’t have to form words and force his mouth to work. Though, it did make his head pound even more. It was a small price to pay.

“You did not give him much of a reason to stay.”

Derek was expecting Tsuki’s words to be accusatory, but they gentle and filled with sorrow. He wasn’t sure if Tsuki was sad that Jackson had left or that Derek didn’t fight for him to stay. He stared at the demon. A question was burning in his mind, but he didn’t want to know the answer. He wasn’t sure if he could handle knowing.

Still, it wouldn’t go away silently. _Will he come back?_ Derek closed his eyes, waiting to hear that Jackson would forget about them and enjoy his new life with his new pack. He didn’t need to know that Jackson would find a mate and live happily ever after.

“Yes.”

Derek’s eyes flew open to the point that he gritted his teeth as they hurt. He could feel blood falling from them, like tears. His heart thudded in his chest at the prospect of Jackson returning to them. He couldn’t think of a reason why, though. Tsuki smiled at that line of thought and used a damp cloth to wash away the blood falling from his eyes.

“While this is a group of misfits, Jackson will learn that it is a merry group of misfits. Then there is you. You will be the one that he returns for; because he knows that there is comfort with you, even if you push him away.”

Derek hoped he was frowning. He was sure that he was frowning, but he couldn’t feel the muscles in his face. Tsuki rinsed out the cloth and continued to wash down his face. He didn’t think that he would push Jackson away. He had learned his lesson when it came to doing that. When he truly thought about it, he couldn’t remember why he kept denying that Jackson was his mate. Maybe he didn’t want anyone to know that he was always attracted to him.

It was a petty reason, but outside of his looks, Jackson didn’t really offer much else. Sure, he was intelligent and Derek had no doubt that he was wild in bed. Still, there wasn’t anything else to do with emotions that came with him. At least, that was the case until the pneumonia hit him and he decided he couldn’t share what was happening. Derek knew that Jackson had no idea what was happening to him, but it wouldn’t have killed him to say his body was going through some changes.

Seeing his selflessness when it came to Allison and Stiles made Derek realize that there was a lot more to Jackson than he previously thought. He didn’t need to protect the humans, but he was willing to die for them. Derek didn’t want to think of the reason for that. He knew that when he marked Jackson, he would always seek him out. Derek sighed. He was a dick.

_How long?_ He really didn’t want to know, but at the same time, he _needed_ to know how long he would be without Jackson.

“Long enough,” Tsuki replied and pressed a kiss to Derek’s forehead. “For now, rest.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that is the story! The sequel is nearly ready to be posted and the first chapter will be up in a couple of days. Thanks to everyone that read, left a comment and left kudos. I love you all! I have to say, I had a great deal of fun writing this story, which is probably why the sequel is nearly complete.  
> I hope to see everyone in the upcoming story, as well! Thanks for all the support.
> 
> Love, Auska.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Leave a review. Next chapter will be up shortly!
> 
> Until the next one!
> 
> Auska.


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